What is the VA disability rating for carpal tunnel syndrome?

The VA rates carpal tunnel syndrome under the schedule for the median nerve, which is the nerve the carpal tunnel compresses. Each arm can carry its own percentage ¹, and at every level above mild, the major arm is rated higher than the minor arm.

This page is part of our accessibility guides, and it is one of a set of questions on the guide to dictation software as a workplace accommodation.

The VA rates carpal tunnel under the median nerve code

The Board of Veterans' Appeals cites Diagnostic Code 8515 for carpal tunnel in the right and left upper extremities ¹. Code 8515 covers paralysis of the median nerve. The schedule grades that paralysis as incomplete, at mild, moderate or severe levels, or as complete. The grade is what sets the percentage, not the name of the diagnosis.

Ratings run from 10 to 70 percent, and the major arm scores higher above mild

The schedule's two columns are headed Major and Minor ². For incomplete paralysis, the schedule gives 10 percent for mild, 30 percent for moderate and 50 percent for severe in the major arm. The minor arm gets 10, 20 and 40 percent ³. For complete paralysis, the schedule gives 70 percent for the major arm and 60 percent for the minor arm ⁴.

Complete paralysis needs specific signs, not only a diagnosis

The 70 and 60 percent ratings apply only when the schedule's listed signs are present ⁴. One listed sign is the ape hand, in which the thumb lies in the plane of the hand ⁵. The rating depends on those signs and on medical evidence, not on the diagnosis.

A rating can also come through another service-connected condition

Carpal tunnel that another service-connected condition caused can be rated as a condition in its own right. The VA regulation says that a disability proximately due to, or the result of, a service-connected disease or injury shall be service connected ⁶. A secondary claim needs medical evidence that links the two conditions, so ask your clinician to address the link directly.

The rating depends on evidence, so gather the nerve tests

Nerve conduction tests are a standard way to confirm carpal tunnel. A 2002 practice parameter says median nerve conduction studies confirm a clinical diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome with sensitivity above 85 percent and specificity of 95 percent ⁷. Those results, together with your symptoms and examinations, form the evidence a rating is based on.

To prepare a claim:

1. Collect the records. Gather the diagnosis, any nerve test results, and treatment notes.
2. Describe the symptoms with dates. Say which hand, which fingers, how often they wake you, and which tasks they stop.
3. Ask about a secondary link. If you already have a service-connected condition in the arm, neck or wrist, ask whether it may have caused or worsened the carpal tunnel.
4. Get help with the file. A VA-accredited representative or a veterans service organization can review the file with you.

Related questions

A rating measures severity, not whether you are disabled in the workplace. For that test, read is carpal tunnel syndrome a disability. For the UK benefit, read can you get PIP for carpal tunnel syndrome. The causes of the condition are covered in can typing cause carpal tunnel syndrome.

This page explains the rating schedule and does not calculate any individual rating or give medical advice. Your rating depends on your own medical evidence and the VA's current rules.