YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) under diagnostic code 5054, in 38 CFR § 4.71a (musculoskeletal system), and the schedule provides five evaluation levels for it: 100%, 90%, 70%, 50% and 30%.
Free · No account needed
Save your Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) guide
Email yourself this Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) guide so the rating criteria, evidence checklist, and preparation tips are easy to find later.
A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Know what to gather03Plan your preparationTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Hip Replacement (Prosthetic)
Your hip joint has been replaced with a prosthesis, or resurfaced, and VA evaluates the result under diagnostic code 5054. The code covers both procedures, but its 30 percent minimum is for a total replacement only.
Diagnostic code 5054 covers hip resurfacing and prosthetic hip replacement. A 100 percent evaluation is assigned for 4 months following implantation of prosthesis or resurfacing. After that, prosthetic replacement of the head of the femur or of the acetabulum is evaluated on residuals: 90 percent following implantation of prosthesis with painful motion or weakness such as to require the use of crutches; 70 percent for markedly severe residual weakness, pain or limitation of motion following implantation of prosthesis; 50 percent for moderately severe residuals of weakness, pain or limitation of motion; and 30 percent as the minimum evaluation, total replacement only. The schedule's note to this code adds that at the conclusion of the 100 percent evaluation period, resurfacing is evaluated under diagnostic codes 5250 through 5255, and that there is no minimum evaluation for resurfacing.
- Diagnostic code
- 5054
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.71a
- Schedule levels
- 100%, 90%, 70%, 50% and 30%
How does the VA choose a rating level?
Which level applies is set by the criteria the evidence meets, not by the diagnosis. Where there is a question as to which of two evaluations applies, 38 CFR § 4.7 assigns the higher one if the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria required for that rating.
This code prints no 0% row. Under 38 CFR § 4.31, a 0% evaluation is assigned where the requirements for a compensable evaluation are not met.
EXPLORE THE PERCENTAGES
Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) VA rating criteria (DC 5054)
Choose a percentage to see what that level means. Open the full comparison to read all the criteria in one place.
These are published rating criteria. Selecting a level does not predict your VA decision.
IN THE REGULATION’S OWN WORDS
What 38 CFR also says about Hip Replacement (Prosthetic)
The notes 38 CFR Part 4 prints with these criteria, quoted. They govern how the evaluation is made without being a rating level themselves.
- “Note: At the conclusion of the 100 percent evaluation period, evaluate resurfacing under diagnostic codes 5250 through 5255; there is no minimum evaluation for resurfacing.”DC 5054
BUILD YOUR EVIDENCE, ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Evidence for your Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) claim
A long list feels easier when you have a place to start. Use this checklist to see what you have and what still needs gathering.
Check off what you’ve gathered. Progress stays on this page until you leave or refresh.
THE EXAM FORM
Which DBQ is used for Hip Replacement (Prosthetic)?
VA's page says: “You can use these forms to submit medical evidence from your health care providers.”
Source: VA: Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs), read September 18, 2026.
THE EVERYDAY PICTURE
What the Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) examination has to record
The criteria above are read off an examination, and three sections of Part 4 govern what that examination has to contain. None of them is a diagnostic code, so none of them appears in the 5054 table, and all three apply to it. 38 CFR § 4.40: “Weakness is as important as limitation of motion, and a part which becomes painful on use must be regarded as seriously disabled.”
38 CFR § 4.45 lists what an examination of a joint is directed to consider:
- Less movement than normal (due to ankylosis, limitation or blocking, adhesions, tendon-tie-up, contracted scars, etc.).
- More movement than normal (from flail joint, resections, nonunion of fracture, relaxation of ligaments, etc.).
- Weakened movement (due to muscle injury, disease or injury of peripheral nerves, divided or lengthened tendons, etc.).
- Excess fatigability.
- Incoordination, impaired ability to execute skilled movements smoothly.
- Pain on movement, swelling, deformity or atrophy of disuse.
38 CFR § 4.59: “It is the intention to recognize actually painful, unstable, or malaligned joints, due to healed injury, as entitled to at least the minimum compensable rating for the joint.” So a joint that is painful on use is not a finding of nothing, even where the measured motion is close to normal.
The same section says how the joint is to be tested: “The joints involved should be tested for pain on both active and passive motion, in weight-bearing and nonweight-bearing and, if possible, with the range of the opposite undamaged joint.” An examination that records one measurement, taken once, sitting down, has not done what the section asks, and that is worth reading the exam report for.
SMALL DETAILS. BETTER PREPARATION.
Preparing your Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) claim
Start with the practical tips, then explore the common oversights. You don’t need to work through everything at once.
Practical tips for your claim4 tips
- 01
Include physical therapy reports showing limitations
- 02
Have the record state plainly whether you require crutches, because that is the criterion the 90 percent evaluation turns on
- 03
If your hip was resurfaced rather than totally replaced, say so: the 30 percent minimum under this code is for total replacement only, and the schedule evaluates resurfacing under diagnostic codes 5250 through 5255 once the 100 percent period ends
- 04
Highlight how symptoms affect daily tasks
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind4 tips
- 01
Never recording crutch use one way or the other, which leaves the 90 percent criterion — painful motion or weakness such as to require the use of crutches — unaddressed
- 02
Failing to describe daily limitations clearly
- 03
Lack of documentation on assistive device use
- 04
No connection shown to service injury or arthritis
Common filing mistakes3 tips
- 01
Reading the 100 percent evaluation as a severity rating. Under this code 100 percent is assigned for 4 months following implantation of prosthesis or resurfacing; severity after that is what the 90, 70, 50 and 30 percent evaluations describe.
- 02
Assuming all surgeries are automatically service-connected
- 03
Omitting post-surgery limitations or complications
When symptoms may first appear2 tips
- 01
Pain and stiffness prior to surgery
- 02
Improvement followed by residual symptoms post-surgery
THE BROADER PICTURE
Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- Moderate – highly dependent on surgical records and post-op limitations.
- Veterans service-connected
- ~13,478 veterans
- Typical rating awarded
- ~70%
Vetrify editorial estimates informed by VA published claims data (VBA Annual Benefits Report) and the VA rating schedule, not official VA statistics.
LET’S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
Common questions about Hip Replacement (Prosthetic)
Is Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) under VASRD diagnostic code 5054 (Musculoskeletal System). Your hip joint has been replaced with a prosthesis, or resurfaced, and VA evaluates the result under diagnostic code 5054. The code covers both procedures, but its 30 percent minimum is for a total replacement only.
What VA disability rating can I get for Hip Replacement (Prosthetic)?
Possible VA ratings for Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) are 100%, 90%, 70%, 50%, 30%, 0%. The 0% level comes from 38 CFR 4.31, which assigns it wherever no compensable level is met. Examples: 100%: For 4 months following implantation of prosthesis or resurfacing; 90%: Prosthetic replacement of the head of the femur or of the acetabulum: following implantation of prosthesis with painful motion or weakness such as to require the use of crutches; 70%: Prosthetic replacement of the head of the femur or of the acetabulum: markedly severe residual weakness, pain or limitation of motion following implantation of prosthesis.
What's the typical VA rating awarded for Hip Replacement (Prosthetic)?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) at around 70%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 13,478 veterans are service-connected for Hip Replacement (Prosthetic). Estimated approval outlook: Moderate – highly dependent on surgical records and post-op limitations.
What evidence helps prove Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Hip Replacement (Prosthetic) claim includes: Post-surgical operative reports; Orthopedic surgeon assessments; Physical therapy records showing limitations.
Which DBQ is used for Hip Replacement (Prosthetic)?
VA's Hip and Thigh Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) is on its public list of DBQs. VA's page says: "You can use these forms to submit medical evidence from your health care providers."
What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Hip Replacement (Prosthetic)?
Common pitfalls when filing for Hip Replacement (Prosthetic): Reading the 100 percent evaluation as a severity rating. Under this code 100 percent is assigned for 4 months following implantation of prosthesis or resurfacing; severity after that is what the 90, 70, 50 and 30 percent evaluations describe; Assuming all surgeries are automatically service-connected; Omitting post-surgery limitations or complications.
What conditions can be secondary to Hip Replacement (Prosthetic)?
Conditions that can be service-connected as secondary to Hip Replacement (Prosthetic), when a medical opinion links them, include: Sciatic Nerve Pain; Depression. A secondary condition gets its own rating, which VA combines with the veteran's other ratings under 38 CFR 4.25.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.71a, Schedule of ratings, musculoskeletal system (Diagnostic Code 5054)
- 38 CFR § 4.7, higher of two evaluations
- 38 CFR § 4.31, zero percent evaluations
- 38 CFR § 4.40, functional loss
- 38 CFR § 4.45, the joints
- 38 CFR § 4.59, painful motion
Criteria in quotation marks are the regulation’s own words; everything else on this page is Vetrify’s summary of it. The eCFR text is authoritative. See how Vetrify derives its numbers.
How these figures are checked: our methodology and the open dataset.
VA Calc: Disability Pay
Combine your ratings & see monthly pay on your iPhone · Works offline