Hip VA rating
The VA rates hip under DC 5250–5255, and most ratings land in the 10–20%+ range. What decides yours is the criteria below and what your record actually documents.
What the criteria ask for at each level
DC 5250–5255 — 38 CFR §4.71a
| Rating | What the record has to show |
|---|---|
| 10–20% | Degenerative arthritis of the hip; limitation of flexion or extension of the thigh. |
| 10–20% (DC 5253) | Thigh impairment: limited rotation, adduction, or abduction. |
| higher | Ankylosis, flail joint, or femur impairment rate substantially higher (DC 5250/5254/5255). |
The schedule's own words
Ratings turn on specific terms, and a record that describes the same reality in different language often reads as a lower rating. These are the words this code measures:
- altered gait
- limitation of flexion of the thigh
- abnormal weight-bearing
Evidence that moves this rating
- X-ray showing degeneration
- Goniometer range-of-motion measurements
- Records documenting the altered gait from your primary condition
What your statement has to cover
Doctors chart symptoms; they rarely chart consequences. That part is yours, and it is usually what separates a documented rating from a reported one.
- Hips are a classic SECONDARY claim: if a service-connected knee, ankle, or back changed how you walk, say so — "years of limping shifted the load to my hips."
- Describe function: stairs, getting out of cars, sitting cross-legged, sleeping on that side.
Our Statement Builderwalks through the questions that produce that kind of statement, in the schedule's own terms.
What hip can lead to5 documented pathways
A secondary claim runs through a condition the VA already accepts, so the argument about your service is already won. What is left is the medical link — and a nexus opinion has to name the mechanism, not just the pair.
| Can lead to | The mechanism a nexus has to state |
|---|---|
| Lower back condition (lumbar spine) | Limping and shifted weight distribution strain the lower back. |
| Knee condition | Compensatory gait overloads the knees, accelerating degeneration. |
| Ankle or foot condition (incl. flat feet, plantar fasciitis) | Compensatory mechanics travel down the kinetic chain to the ankles and feet. |
| GERD (acid reflux) | Long-term NSAID / pain-medication use for hip pain causes reflux. |
| Depression | Chronic hip pain and mobility loss degrade mental health. |
A pathway existing in the literature is not the same as your claim being granted — your records and the VA decide that. How secondary claims work covers the argument.
Before you spend money on this claim
VA ratings do not add. Each new rating applies only to the part of you the VA still counts as unimpaired, then rounds to the nearest ten — so from 70%, a new 10% condition leaves you at exactly 70% and changes your payment by nothing.
That does not make the claim worthless; it can still matter for TDIU, for SMC, or later when something else is added. But it is worth knowing before you pay for a nexus letter rather than after. Check what one more condition does at your rating — it takes a minute.