VASRD 5255 · Musculoskeletal System
Femur, Impairment of VA Disability Rating
A thigh bone that never healed back together (nonunion), or that healed into a false joint. If the femur healed but healed crooked (malunion), the schedule rates it under the knee or hip codes instead of here.
VA Rating Tiers
How the VA Evaluates Femur, Impairment of
DC 5255's own evaluations cover nonunion only: 80 percent where a fracture of the shaft or anatomical neck has nonunion with loose motion, and 60 percent where nonunion is present without loose motion and weight bearing is preserved with the aid of a brace, or where a fracture of the surgical neck has produced a false joint. Malunion of the femur is no longer evaluated under this code at all — the schedule directs that it be evaluated under DC 5256, 5257, 5260 or 5261 for the knee, or DCs 5250 through 5254 for the hip, whichever results in the highest evaluation. So a healed-but-crooked femur is rated on what the knee or hip can actually do, not on this table.
Approval outlook
Moderate (40–50%)
Veterans service-connected
~16,000 veterans
Vetrify editorial estimates informed by VA published claims data (VBA Annual Benefits Report) and the VA rating schedule — not official VA statistics.
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Best Evidence to Gather
- •X-rays or CT showing whether the fracture united, and whether there is motion at the fracture site — union versus nonunion is the dividing line this code is built on.
- •Orthopedic notes describing the fracture site as stable or loose, and whether weight bearing is possible with a brace.
- •Where the femur healed in malunion, goniometric range-of-motion measurements of the knee and hip, because that is where the schedule sends malunion to be rated.
Strategy Tips
- •Establish union or nonunion explicitly in the imaging report, because this code pays only for nonunion (or a false joint at the surgical neck) and everything else it once covered has been moved elsewhere.
- •If the femur healed in malunion, get full goniometric measurements of both the knee and the hip — the schedule rates it under whichever of those codes yields the highest evaluation, so leaving one joint unmeasured can cost the higher rating.
- •Document brace-assisted weight bearing where nonunion is stable, since that is the specific finding separating the 60 percent evaluation from the 80 percent one.
C&P Exam Pitfalls
- •Failing to document instability or loose motion at the fracture site, which is specifically what separates the higher rating tiers from the lower ones.
Common Filing Mistakes
- •Claiming a malunion under this code and expecting a percentage from it — since 2021 the schedule routes malunion of the femur to the knee codes (5256, 5257, 5260, 5261) or the hip codes (5250-5254), whichever pays more.
- •Missing records of the original fracture, which are needed to establish both the injury and how it healed.
Onset Patterns
- •Femur impairment most often results from combat injuries, falls, or other significant trauma during service that caused the original fracture.
Secondary Conditions
Conditions commonly linked to Femur, Impairment of. Service-connecting a secondary condition can increase your combined rating.
Common questions about Femur, Impairment of
- Is Femur, Impairment of a VA-rated disability?
- Yes. The VA rates Femur, Impairment of under VASRD diagnostic code 5255 (Musculoskeletal System). A thigh bone that never healed back together (nonunion), or that healed into a false joint. If the femur healed but healed crooked (malunion), the schedule rates it under the knee or hip codes instead of here.
- What VA disability rating can I get for Femur, Impairment of?
- Possible VA ratings for Femur, Impairment of are 80%, 60%. Examples: 80%: The thigh bone never knitted back together and the fracture site still moves.; 60%: The thigh bone never knitted together but is stable enough to bear weight in a brace, or the break healed into a false joint..
- What evidence helps prove Femur, Impairment of for VA disability?
- Strong evidence for a Femur, Impairment of claim includes: X-rays or CT showing whether the fracture united, and whether there is motion at the fracture site — union versus nonunion is the dividing line this code is built on.; Orthopedic notes describing the fracture site as stable or loose, and whether weight bearing…
- What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Femur, Impairment of?
- Common pitfalls when filing for Femur, Impairment of: Claiming a malunion under this code and expecting a percentage from it — since 2021 the schedule routes malunion of the femur to the knee codes (5256, 5257, 5260, 5261) or the hip codes (5250-5254), whichever pays more.; Missing records of the original fracture, wh…
- What conditions are commonly secondary to Femur, Impairment of?
- Conditions often service-connected as secondary to Femur, Impairment of include: Knee arthritis, Hip bursitis. Filing for secondary conditions can increase a veteran's combined VA rating.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.71a — Schedule of ratings — musculoskeletal system (Diagnostic Code 5255)
Rating criteria on this page are an educational summary of the cited regulation — the eCFR text is authoritative. See how Vetrify derives its numbers.
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