BVA decisions by condition
Hip impairment: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a hip impairment issue in 23,291 decisions. It granted the hip impairment issue in 15.8% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 30.6%, and remanded it in 55.4%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 34.1% were granted.
Decisions
23,291
2017–2026
Granted
15.8%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
34.1%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
55.4%
Denied: 30.6%
Hip impairment outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1,642 | 8.0% | 34.2% | 54.8% | 3.0% |
| 2018 | 2,856 | 9.8% | 31.3% | 56.7% | 2.2% |
| 2019 | 3,471 | 10.3% | 30.6% | 57.3% | 1.8% |
| 2020 | 3,692 | 10.9% | 34.6% | 53.5% | 1.0% |
| 2021 | 3,916 | 12.4% | 33.1% | 53.3% | 1.1% |
| 2022 | 3,911 | 14.0% | 26.8% | 58.3% | 0.9% |
| 2023 | 4,526 | 13.8% | 26.7% | 58.4% | 1.1% |
| 2024 | 4,883 | 17.0% | 29.0% | 53.3% | 0.7% |
| 2025 | 5,170 | 19.4% | 33.2% | 46.5% | 0.9% |
| 2026 | 1,882 | 26.2% | 28.2% | 44.7% | 0.8% |
Each row counts issues (each condition the Board decided), so the shares add up to 100%. Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome. Years with fewer than 50 issues are left out.
Evidence in granted and denied hip impairment decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the hip impairment issue on the merits when the decision mentioned it, compared with decisions that did not. These are associations, not causes, and evidence is recorded per decision, not per issue.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive nexus opinion | 3,525 | 72.5% | 22.7% | +49.8 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 2,221 | 59.4% | 29.7% | +29.7 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 1,144 | 58.8% | 32.4% | +26.4 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 6,805 | 48.9% | 25.7% | +23.3 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 8,008 | 45.8% | 29.9% | +15.9 pts |
| Combat service | 1,073 | 46.5% | 33.4% | +13.1 pts |
| Buddy statement | 627 | 46.3% | 33.7% | +12.7 pts |
| Lay statement | 18,918 | 33.0% | 39.7% | −6.6 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 70.8% of the decisions that granted hip impairment.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 36.1% of grants and 12.3% of denials.
Negative evidence in the record
An unfavorable exam or a negative nexus opinion often sits in the same record as favorable evidence, and the Board weighs them against each other. So these rows show how often hip impairment was still granted when the record contained the negative item, not that the item helped.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Negative nexus opinion | 12,164 | 34.5% | 33.5% | +1.0 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 17,540 | 33.3% | 37.3% | −4.0 pts |
Hip impairment claimed as a secondary condition
Decisions where hip impairment was claimed as secondary to another service-connected disability (38 CFR 3.310), by that disability.
Why the Board granted or denied hip impairment
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established449
- Caused by the service-connected disability280
- Service connection established143
- Continuity of symptomatology since service68
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability56
- Criteria for service connection met45
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service35
- Already at the maximum schedular rating29
Most common reasons in denials
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis872
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim743
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service691
- No current diagnosis641
- Service records negative or silent532
- Current diagnosis established317
- No continuity of symptomatology193
- Already at the maximum schedular rating161
Numbers are decisions that gave the reason. Reasons are short phrases extracted by AI from each decision; common wordings of the same reason are grouped. Benefit of the doubt is reported above.
Recent hip impairment decisions
Granted
Credible lay reports of persistent symptoms since MVA; MVA caused physical injuries; Established pattern of other service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities from same MVA; Imaging confirmed degenerative changes; No other post-service cause identified; Benefit of the doubt applied
Board found evidence in equipoise; VA opinions inadequate; Private surgeon opinion found most probative
Private medical opinion provided favorable nexus; Equipoise resolved in Veteran's favor; Secondary to service-connected lumbar spine disability
Denied
Disability not shown as chronic in service; Did not manifest to a compensable degree within presumptive period; No continuity of symptomatology attributable to service; No medical nexus established between current disorder and service; No radiographic evidence of retained needle fragment; Osteoarthritis diagnosis occurred decades after service
Residuals did not meet criteria for higher rating; Pain levels (2/10-3/10) not considered severe; Range of motion not significantly limited
No competent evidence of current disability; Service records negative for follow-up treatment; Veteran reported no current treatment for joint pain; Failed to attend rescheduled VA examinations
Rules that apply to hip impairment claims
- 38 CFR 3.303
Principles of service connection
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.310
Secondary service connection and aggravation
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.102
Reasonable doubt (benefit of the doubt)
Read it in VA Law Explorer
Research your hip impairment case
Narrow by year, judge, evidence or secondary condition, read the decisions, and export a research memo.
How these numbers are calculated
- Rates count decisions in which the Board decided a hip impairment issue, by the outcome of that issue. Other issues in the same decision can have different outcomes.
- “Granted on the merits” leaves out remands and dismissals. “All conditions” is the grant share across every condition issue in the data.
- The data comes from CaseScribe's AI extraction of public BVA decisions (2017–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.