EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. Not legal or medical advice. Not affiliated with the VA.
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Abducens Nerve Paralysis (CN VI)
✓ VERIFIED AGAINST 38 C.F.R.§ 4.79 (Eye) · reviewed 2026-05-15 · ClaimRecon Editorial Team
Abducens Nerve Paralysis (CN VI) is rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under DC 8205 of 38 CFR § 4.124a, DC 8205 across 1 severity tier (0%). Service connection requires (1) a current diagnosis, (2) an in-service event, injury, or exposure, and (3) a medical nexus opinion linking the two under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303.
OVERVIEW
Paralysis of cranial nerve VI causing inability to abduct the eye, resulting in diplopia (double vision).
RATING CRITERIA (1 LEVELS)
0%
Abducens (CN VI) paralysis is rated under § 4.79 DC 6090 on the resulting diplopia, not under § 4.124a peripheral- or cranial-nerve codes. The percentage depends on the field of gaze in which diplopia occurs and is converted to an "equivalent visual acuity" then plugged into the § 4.79 visual-impairment combined table. Per § 4.31, occasional diplopia or diplopia correctable with prism spectacles is rated 0%.
KEY EVIDENCE TO GATHER
-Service treatment records showing injury or complaints
-Imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT)
-Range of motion measurements
-Flare-up documentation per Sharp v. Shulkin
-Buddy statements describing limitations
-Prescription history
-Physical therapy records
-Employment impact documentation
C&P EXAM TIPS (6)
1.Do NOT stretch, warm up, or take pain medication before your exam. The VA needs your baseline limitation.
2.Report your WORST day. DeLuca v. Brown requires documentation of functional loss during flare-ups.
3.Tell the examiner about flare-ups: frequency, duration, estimated ROM loss. Sharp v. Shulkin (2017) requires estimates.
4.Request active, passive, weight-bearing, and non-weight-bearing ROM testing per Correia v. McDonald (2016).
5.If you use assistive devices (brace, cane), bring them.
6.Describe daily activity impact: work, sleep, household tasks.
SOURCES & EDITORIAL
Rating criteria text quoted verbatim from 38 C.F.R. § 4.79 (Eye). Source verified 2026-05-15 by ClaimRecon Editorial Team during a regulation-text comparison against the Cornell Law CFR mirror; eCFR.gov is the authoritative government source.
EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. NOT LEGAL OR MEDICAL ADVICE.
NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
CLAIM RECON 2026