2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code F81.9Developmental disorder of scholastic skills, unspecified
ICD-10-CM Codes›F01–F99›F80-F89›F81
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- Not a Principal Diagnosis
- Chronic Condition
F81.9 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for developmental disorder of scholastic skills, unspecified. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 886. The code is not accepted as a principal diagnosis by the Medicare Code Editor. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Neurodevelopmental disorders.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Code EditsBilling
Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for F81.9.
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Basic learning problem
- Borderline cognitive developmental delay
- Cognitive developmental delay
- Congenital abnormal shape of frontal bone
- Developmental academic disorder
- Developmental academic disorder due to iodine deficiency
- Developmental academic disorder due to iron deficiency
- Developmental academic disorder due to micronutrient deficiency
- Developmental academic disorder due to nutritional stunting
- Impaired ability to learn new material
- Learning difficulties
- Nonverbal learning disorder
- Pervasive developmental disorder with disorder of intellectual development and absence of functional language with loss of previously acquired skills
- Pervasive developmental disorder with disorder of intellectual development and complete impairment of functional language with loss of previously acquired skills
- Pervasive developmental disorder with disorder of intellectual development and complete impairment of functional language without loss of previously acquired skills
- Pervasive developmental disorder with disorder of intellectual development and marked impairment of functional language with loss of previously acquired skills
- Pervasive developmental disorder with disorder of intellectual development and marked impairment of functional language without loss of previously acquired skills
- Pervasive developmental disorder with disorder of intellectual development and pervasive impairment of functional language without loss of previously acquired skills
- RIDDLE syndrome
- Slow learner
- Trigonocephaly
- Trigonocephaly, short stature, developmental delay syndrome
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to F81.9: its own notes plus those printed at Chapter 5. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
Includes
Further defines, or gives examples of, the content of the category.
- disorders of psychological development
Applicable To
Conditions this code is used for: synonyms of the title or, for "other specified" codes, the conditions assigned to it. The list is not exhaustive.
- Knowledge acquisition disability NOS
- Learning disability NOS
- Learning disorder NOS
Excludes2
Not included here: the excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, so both codes may be reported.
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
Referenced in Other NotesGuidance
Instructional notes printed at other codes that name F81.9, its category, or a range that includes it.
Excludes1 2
These codes carry an Excludes1 note naming F81.9: they are not reported together with it, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
Code Also 2
These codes say F81.9 may also be needed to fully describe the condition. The note gives no sequencing direction.
- G93.45 Developmental and epileptic encephalopathydevelopmental disorders of scholastic skills (F81.-) names F81.-, which includes this code
- Z15.1 Genetic susceptibility to epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disordersdevelopmental disorders of scholastic skills (F81.-) names F81.-, which includes this code
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
intellectual (specific) F81.9
learning F81.9
delayed See Also: Delay, development; R62.50
learning skill F81.9
knowledge acquisition F81.9
learning F81.9
Disorder (of) See Also: Disease;
learning F81.9
learning (specific) F81.9
psychogenic NOS See Also: condition; F45.9
learning F81.9
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Patient EducationClinical
Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities are conditions that affect the ability to learn. They can cause problems with:
The full article covers:
- What is a learning disability?
- What causes learning disabilities?
- How are learning disabilities diagnosed?
- What are the treatments for learning disabilities?
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert F81.9 to ICD-9-CMHistory
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About F81.9Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for developmental disorder of scholastic skills, unspecified?
The ICD-10-CM code for developmental disorder of scholastic skills, unspecified is F81.9 (sometimes written as F819). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is F81.9 (Specific developmental disorders of scholastic skills) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report developmental disorder of scholastic skills, unspecified on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does F81.9 group to?
On inpatient claims, developmental disorder of scholastic skills, unspecified maps to MS-DRG 886 (behavioral and Developmental Disorders), which carries a relative weight of 1.6455. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Can F81.9 be a principal diagnosis?
No. The Medicare Code Editor rejects this code as a principal diagnosis because developmental disorder of scholastic skills, unspecified describes a circumstance that influences health status rather than a current illness. Report it as a secondary diagnosis.
What is the ICD-9 equivalent of F81.9?
Under the General Equivalence Mappings, developmental disorder of scholastic skills, unspecified converts to ICD-9-CM 315.9 (development delay NOS) and V40.0 (problems with learning). The mapping is approximate, so confirm the match fits the documentation.
