Hip injuries are common service-connected disabilities affecting many veterans who receive VA disability compensation. Veterans developed hip injuries from military service—the repetitive marching and running with heavy loads stresses the veteran’s hips, and combat-related trauma causes acute hip injuries in veterans. Many veterans experience chronic hip pain, limited mobility, and functional impairment from service-related hip injuries. Some veterans’ hip injuries progress to hip arthritis or require hip replacement surgery affecting the veteran. Yet many veterans don’t realize they can file for VA disability benefits for hip injuries or don’t understand how the VA rates hip disability in veterans. This comprehensive article explains how veterans develop service-connected hip injuries, how veterans can file disability claims for hip damage, what disability ratings veterans with hip injuries receive, and how veterans can maximize compensation for hip injury disabilities.

How Veterans Develop Service-Connected Hip Injuries

Veterans develop hip injuries through various service-related pathways:

Heavy Load Carrying: Many veterans carried heavy rucksacks and equipment during military service. The weight combined with marching distances caused significant stress on the veteran’s hips. This repetitive heavy load on the veteran’s hips accelerates hip injury in veterans.

Repetitive Marching and Running: The repetitive marching and running required during military training and service stresses the veteran’s hip joints. Extended distances marched during a veteran’s military service cause hip injuries affecting the veteran.

Combat-Related Trauma: Veterans sustained hip injuries from blast injuries, vehicle accidents, falls from height, or direct combat trauma affecting the veteran’s hip. These acute hip injuries in veterans often lead to long-term pain and dysfunction affecting the veteran.

Training Injuries: Military training includes activities stressing the veteran’s hip joints. Falls, jumping, or sports-related incidents during the veteran’s military training caused hip injuries in veterans.

Occupational Duties: Veterans who performed occupational duties requiring standing, walking, or carrying loads developed hip injuries from occupational stress during the veteran’s service.

Types of Hip Injuries in Veterans

Veterans experience various hip injuries and conditions qualifying for disability benefits:

Hip Labral Tears: Injuries to the cartilage in the veteran’s hip socket cause pain and dysfunction affecting the veteran. Labral injuries in veterans often result from acute trauma or repetitive stress.

Hip Dislocation: Traumatic dislocation of the veteran’s hip joint causes acute pain and frequently results in chronic instability affecting the veteran. Hip dislocations in veterans may require surgery affecting the veteran.

Hip Arthritis: Osteoarthritis develops in the veteran’s hip joint from injury, overuse, or age-related changes affecting the veteran. Progressive arthritis in the veteran’s hip causes chronic pain and dysfunction.

Femoral Neck Fracture: Fractures of the veteran’s hip neck cause significant disability. These fractures in veterans may result in long-term complications affecting the veteran.

Bursitis and Tendinitis: Inflammation of bursae and tendons in the veteran’s hip causes pain and functional limitation affecting the veteran. These soft tissue injuries in veterans cause chronic symptoms affecting the veteran.

Post-Traumatic Hip Pain: Veterans who sustained hip injuries during service frequently develop post-traumatic pain and dysfunction in the veteran’s hip affecting occupational capacity.

Service Connection for Veterans with Hip Injuries

Veterans can establish service connection for hip injuries through several pathways:

Direct Service Connection: Veterans can establish direct service connection by showing that hip injury resulted from a specific incident or occupational stress during military service. A veteran injured in combat or during training can establish service connection for the veteran’s hip injury.

Secondary Service Connection: Veterans often develop hip problems secondary to other service-connected conditions. A veteran with service-connected back injury might develop hip problems from altered gait affecting the veteran’s hip. A veteran with knee injury might develop hip dysfunction as the veteran compensates for the veteran’s injury affecting the veteran’s hip.

Disability Ratings for Veterans with Hip Injuries

The VA rates hip injuries in veterans based on specific clinical findings and functional limitations affecting the veteran. The VA considers several factors when rating hip injuries in veterans:

Range of Motion: The VA examines the veteran’s hip range of motion. Veterans with severely limited hip motion receive higher ratings affecting the veteran.

Pain and Symptoms: The VA considers pain severity and symptoms affecting the veteran. Medical records documenting the veteran’s hip pain support higher ratings for the veteran’s injury.

Functional Limitations: The VA evaluates how the veteran’s hip injury affects the veteran’s ability to walk, stand, climb stairs, or perform occupational tasks. Veterans whose hip injury significantly limits functional capacity receive higher ratings.

Imaging Findings: X-rays, MRI, and other imaging showing structural damage to the veteran’s hip support disability ratings. Arthritis, labral damage, or other pathology in the veteran’s hip warrant higher ratings.

Post-Surgical Status: Veterans who had hip surgery may receive higher ratings based on surgical findings and post-operative limitations affecting the veteran.

VA Disability Ratings for Veterans with Hip Injuries

The VA rates hip injuries in veterans using specific rating schedules. Most hip injuries in veterans receive ratings between 0% and 50%, though severe cases may receive higher ratings.

0-10% Rating for Veterans: Veterans at this level have mild hip damage or pain with minimal functional impairment. The veteran may have occasional hip pain but it doesn’t substantially affect the veteran’s work or daily functioning.

20% Rating for Veterans: Veterans receiving 20% for hip injury have mild to moderate hip damage affecting the veteran’s functioning. The veteran’s hip pain impacts activities and the veteran may have some limitation in walking or standing affecting the veteran.

30% Rating for Veterans: Veterans at this level have moderate hip injury with noticeable functional limitation. The veteran’s hip substantially limits occupational tasks requiring walking or standing affecting the veteran.

40% Rating for Veterans: Veterans with a 40% rating for hip injury have significant damage with substantial functional limitation. The veteran’s hip substantially limits the veteran’s ability to perform occupational duties affecting the veteran.

50% Rating for Veterans: Veterans receiving 50% for hip injury have severe hip damage with marked functional impairment. The veteran’s hip severely limits occupational capacity affecting the veteran.

Higher Ratings for Veterans: Veterans with extremely severe hip injuries affecting the veteran may receive ratings above 50%.

Filing for Hip Injury Disability Benefits as a Veteran

To file for VA disability benefits for hip injuries, veterans submit VA Form 21-0960 (Application for Disability Compensation) indicating hip injury as the claimed condition.

Veterans filing for hip injuries should include:

• Medical records documenting the veteran’s hip injury diagnosis
• Surgical records if the veteran had hip surgery related to the veteran’s injury
• X-rays, MRI, or other imaging showing hip damage affecting the veteran
• Documentation of hip treatments received by the veteran
• Information about when and how the veteran injured the veteran’s hip during service
• Documentation of the veteran’s functional limitations caused by the veteran’s hip injury
• A personal statement from the veteran describing how the veteran’s hip injury affects daily functioning and work

Veterans should clearly explain how the veteran believes the veteran’s hip injury is service-connected.

The Compensation and Pension Exam for Veterans with Hip Injuries

When veterans file for hip injury disability, the VA typically schedules a Compensation and Pension exam. During the veteran’s exam, the VA examiner will:

• Perform a thorough hip examination on the veteran, testing the veteran’s range of motion
• Assess pain and functional limitation of the veteran’s hip
• Review imaging studies and medical records documenting the veteran’s hip injury
• Ask the veteran detailed questions about the veteran’s hip pain and functional limitations
• Document the veteran’s occupational and daily functioning affected by the veteran’s hip injury
• Test for specific hip pathology affecting the veteran

Veterans should prepare for the veteran’s exam by being prepared to demonstrate functional limitations and describe honestly how the veteran’s hip affects the veteran’s work and daily life.

Secondary Conditions in Veterans with Hip Injuries

Veterans should file claims for conditions secondary to their hip injuries:

Back Pain: Veterans with hip injuries often develop compensatory back pain from altered gait affecting the veteran’s back. Secondary back pain in veterans from hip injury qualifies for separate disability rating.

Knee Problems: Altered mechanics from hip injury causes stress on the veteran’s knees. Secondary knee conditions in veterans from hip injury can receive separate disability rating.

Depression and Anxiety: Veterans with chronic hip pain may develop depression and anxiety affecting the veteran. Secondary mental health conditions in veterans from chronic hip pain qualify for separate ratings.

Sleep Disorders: Veterans whose hip pain disrupts the veteran’s sleep may develop sleep disorders. Secondary sleep problems in veterans can receive separate disability ratings.

These secondary conditions increase the veteran’s combined disability rating, potentially significantly increasing the veteran’s total compensation.

Combining Hip Injuries with Other Veteran Disabilities

Many veterans have hip injuries combined with other service-connected conditions. For example, a veteran might have a 40% rating for hip injury and a 30% rating for back pain, plus other disabilities affecting the veteran.

All conditions in veterans combine using the VA’s combined rating formula to determine the veteran’s total disability rating. Use our disability calculator at https://vetvalor.com/va-disability-calculator-2026/ to understand exactly how your hip injury rating combines with your other service-connected conditions as a veteran. The calculator shows veterans their total combined rating and monthly compensation.

Rating Increases for Veterans with Worsening Hip Injuries

Veterans whose hip injuries worsen over time should file for rating increases. Many veterans experience progressive hip degeneration as they age, developing arthritis or other degenerative changes in the veteran’s hip.

Veterans should file for rating increases when:

• The veteran’s hip pain becomes worse or more frequent
• The veteran’s hip range of motion decreases further
• The veteran’s hip develops new symptoms or complications
• The veteran requires surgery or more intensive treatment for the veteran’s hip
• The veteran’s functional limitations from the veteran’s hip have increased

When filing for a rating increase, veterans should submit updated medical evidence showing the veteran’s worsened hip condition and current functional impact.

Use our disability calculator at https://vetvalor.com/va-disability-calculator-2026/ to see how a hip injury rating increase would affect your combined rating and total compensation as a veteran.

Understanding Your Hip Injury Disability Compensation

A veteran’s hip injury disability compensation depends on the veteran’s hip injury rating and any other service-connected conditions the veteran has. Use our disability calculator at https://vetvalor.com/va-disability-calculator-2026/ to determine:

• Your combined rating including hip injury and other disabilities
• Your monthly compensation based on your disability ratings
• How a hip injury rating increase would affect your total compensation
• How hip injuries combine with other service-connected conditions affecting the veteran

The calculator helps veterans understand their total compensation when hip injuries combine with other disabilities.

Hip Treatment and Management for Veterans

Veterans with service-connected hip injuries should establish regular care with VA orthopedic specialists or physical medicine and rehabilitation providers knowledgeable about hip conditions. The VA offers veterans:

• Orthopedic evaluation and management for hip injuries affecting the veteran
• Physical therapy to improve the veteran’s hip function and reduce pain
• Medication management for pain and inflammation in the veteran’s hip
• Hip injections or other interventional treatments for some veterans’ hip conditions
• Surgical options including hip replacement for appropriate veterans

Veterans should maintain regular VA care both for treatment and to create medical documentation supporting disability ratings and potential rating increase claims.

Occupational Considerations for Veterans with Hip Injuries

The VA recognizes that significant hip injuries substantially affect occupational capacity in veterans. Veterans whose hip injuries prevent them from performing their previous occupation may qualify for vocational rehabilitation services or Individual Unemployability.

Veterans with substantial hip injuries limiting occupational capacity should consider filing for Individual Unemployability (IU). IU provides 100% disability compensation based on occupational inability rather than rating percentage alone.

Appealing Denied Hip Injury Claims for Veterans

If the VA denies a veteran’s hip injury claim, the veteran can appeal. Many veterans successfully overturn denials by:

• Submitting additional medical evidence documenting the veteran’s hip damage
• Obtaining detailed orthopedic statements from healthcare providers supporting the veteran’s hip disability claim
• Working with a VA-accredited representative who understands hip injury claims
• Providing detailed functional limitation descriptions in appeals
• Filing additional rating increase claims as the veteran’s condition progresses

Don’t accept a denied hip injury claim without appeal—many veterans successfully obtain hip injury disability benefits through persistent appeals.

Conclusion

Hip injuries are service-connected disabilities affecting many veterans, significantly impacting the veteran’s ability to work and maintain mobility. Veterans who injured the veteran’s hip during military service, from combat-related trauma, or from service-related physical demands deserve disability compensation. If you’re a veteran with a hip injury, file a disability claim documenting your condition and how the veteran’s hip injury affects your functioning. File for secondary conditions caused by your hip injury. Maintain regular VA orthopedic care and document your hip pain and functional limitations. Use our disability calculator at https://vetvalor.com/va-disability-calculator-2026/ to understand your combined rating and total compensation when hip injuries combine with other veteran disabilities. As a veteran with service-connected hip injury, you deserve disability benefits recognizing your condition and compensating you for the functional impact on your veteran life.