38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.71a
Femur, impairment of — VA Diagnostic Code 5255
Musculoskeletal
Diagnostic code
5255
38 CFR § 4.71a lists Diagnostic Code 5255 under The Hip and Thigh as “Femur, impairment of:”. The table has one Rating column. Nonunion with loose motion is 80. Two other fracture lines are 60. Malunion does not print a percentage. It says to evaluate under named knee or hip codes, whichever results in the highest evaluation. Appendix B to Part 4 indexes the code as “Femur, impairment.” The index drops the word “of.”
Reviewed 2026-10-05. Text checked against the eCFR versioner full-text XML for 2026-10-01 on 2026-10-05. Title 38 was up to date as of 2026-10-01 and last amended on 2026-08-27. The § 4.71a source note prints 29 FR 6718, May 22, 1964, as amended at 34 FR 5062, Mar. 11, 1969; 40 FR 42536, Sept. 15, 1975; 41 FR 11294, Mar. 18, 1976; 43 FR 45350, Oct. 2, 1978; 51 FR 6411, Feb. 24, 1986; 61 FR 20439, May 7, 1996; 67 FR 48785, July 26, 2002; 67 FR 54349, Aug. 22, 2002; 68 FR 51456, Aug. 27, 2003; 69 FR 32450, June 10, 2004; 80 FR 42041, July 16, 2015; 85 FR 76460, Nov. 30, 2020, 85 FR 85523, Dec. 29, 2020, 86 FR 8142, Feb. 4, 2021. The last two amendments are separated by commas in that note.
The rating criteria at each level
5255 Femur, impairment of
Rating %: —
Criteria (verbatim). Fracture of shaft or anatomical neck of:
Rating %: 80
Criteria (verbatim). With nonunion, with loose motion (spiral or oblique fracture)
Rating %: 60
Criteria (verbatim). With nonunion, without loose motion, weight bearing preserved with aid of brace
Rating %: 60
Criteria (verbatim). Fracture of surgical neck of, with false joint
Rating %: —
Criteria (verbatim). Malunion of:
Rating %: —
Criteria (verbatim). Evaluate under diagnostic codes 5256, 5257, 5260, or 5261 for the knee, or 5250-5254 for the hip, whichever results in the highest evaluation.
| Rating % | Criteria (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| — | Fracture of shaft or anatomical neck of: |
| 80 | With nonunion, with loose motion (spiral or oblique fracture) |
| 60 | With nonunion, without loose motion, weight bearing preserved with aid of brace |
| 60 | Fracture of surgical neck of, with false joint |
| — | Malunion of: |
| — | Evaluate under diagnostic codes 5256, 5257, 5260, or 5261 for the knee, or 5250-5254 for the hip, whichever results in the highest evaluation. |
The table caption is “The Hip and Thigh.” One column is labeled Rating. The fracture heading and the malunion heading have empty rating cells.
The 60 percent nonunion line says “with aid of brace.” It does not say “a brace.”
The hip-and-thigh table footer says “3 Entitled to special monthly compensation.” The superscript 3 is on the 90 percent line of DC 5250: “Unfavorable, extremely unfavorable ankylosis, the foot not reaching ground, crutches necessitated.” It is not on the 80 or 60 lines of DC 5255.
The malunion line names DC 5256, DC 5257, DC 5260, and DC 5261 for the knee, or 5250-5254 for the hip, whichever results in the highest evaluation. DC 5250 is hip ankylosis. Its public page is the hip guide. DC 5254 is hip, flail joint, at 80. The hyphen in “5250-5254” is the schedule’s hyphen. 38 CFR § 4.7 assigns the higher rating when the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria required for that rating. Otherwise, the lower rating will be assigned. 38 CFR § 4.6 requires each element affecting the evidence to be studied so that decisions will be equitable and just.
DC 5054 is hip, resurfacing or replacement. The public page is the hip replacement guide. Its note says that at the conclusion of the 100 percent evaluation period, evaluate resurfacing under diagnostic codes 5250 through 5255. That note is a DC 5054 sentence. It is not a percentage line of DC 5255. 38 CFR § 4.31 says that in every instance where the schedule does not provide a zero percent evaluation for a diagnostic code, a zero percent evaluation shall be assigned when the requirements for a compensable evaluation are not met. DC 5255 does not print a 0 percent line.
Source: 38 CFR § 4.71a, Diagnostic Code 5255, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.
What the words mean in your records
Loose motion
“With nonunion, with loose motion (spiral or oblique fracture)” is 80. “With nonunion, without loose motion, weight bearing preserved with aid of brace” is 60. Fracture of the surgical neck with false joint is also 60. The surgical-neck line is not indented under the shaft-or-anatomical-neck heading in the sense of sharing that heading’s words. It is its own line.
Malunion names other codes
The malunion cell does not print 80, 60, 30, or 10. It names the knee codes and the hip range, and it says to use whichever results in the highest evaluation.
Appendix B drops “of”
The index line is “Femur, impairment.” The § 4.71a row is “Femur, impairment of:”.
Evidence that speaks to each level
80 or 60
What the rater needs to see. Nonunion with loose motion, described as a spiral or oblique fracture; nonunion without loose motion with weight bearing preserved with aid of brace; or fracture of the surgical neck with false joint.
Where that usually lives. The imaging and the examination of the femur.
Malunion
What the rater needs to see. The knee or hip code the malunion line names, and which of those evaluations is the highest.
Where that usually lives. The examination under the code that line uses.
VA’s public DBQ list, checked October 5, 2026, names “Hip and Thigh” under Musculoskeletal. The file is Hip and Thigh.
The exam form
DC 5255 prints the fracture lines and the malunion instruction. This page does not say the form replaces those lines.
Related codes and how they interact
Flail joint and ankylosis are other hip codes.
DC 5254 is hip, flail joint, at 80, with no superscript. DC 5250 is hip ankylosis. The superscript 3 in this table is on the 90 percent ankylosis line, not on DC 5255.
Secondary conditions and presumptions
The 2026-10-01 text of 38 CFR § 3.309 does not contain “femur.” DC 5255 is not a chronic-disease row in that section. “Arthritis” in § 3.309(a) has no diagnostic code. The malunion line does not assign that family name to DC 5255.
Short answers
What is the VA rating for femur impairment?
Under 38 CFR § 4.71a, Diagnostic Code 5255 is 80 or 60 on the fracture lines. Malunion uses the knee and hip codes the cell names. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.
Which column does this table use?
The Hip and Thigh table has one Rating column. It does not use Major and Minor. Those columns are on The Shoulder and Arm table.
FAQ
How does VA rate impairment of the femur under DC 5255?
Nonunion with loose motion (spiral or oblique fracture) is 80. Nonunion without loose motion, weight bearing preserved with aid of brace, is 60. Fracture of the surgical neck with false joint is 60. Malunion says to evaluate under diagnostic codes 5256, 5257, 5260, or 5261 for the knee, or 5250-5254 for the hip, whichever results in the highest evaluation. Education only.
Does the 80 percent line include special monthly compensation?
The superscript 3 in The Hip and Thigh table is on the 90 percent line of DC 5250. The footer says “Entitled to special monthly compensation.” That superscript is not on the DC 5255 lines.
Is hip replacement this code?
No. Hip resurfacing or replacement is DC 5054. Its note says to evaluate resurfacing, after the 100 percent period, under diagnostic codes 5250 through 5255. That is a DC 5054 instruction.
Next steps
- Read the decision for DC 5255 and, if malunion was used, which knee or hip code produced the evaluation.
- The free worksheet is a place to write the code, the findings, and the records you already have. It does not file a claim or protect a filing date. An accredited representative is at find a VSO.
- Other hip and thigh codes are on the musculoskeletal diagnostic-code index. Ankylosis is the hip guide.
Education only. Not legal or medical advice. My Claim Packet is not a VA-accredited representative and does not file claims. VA decides every claim on its own evidence.
Other codes in this body system
Nearby catalog entries in Musculoskeletal, ordered by diagnostic code number. All Musculoskeletal codes
- DC 5242Degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease other than intervertebral disc syndrome (also, see either DC 5003 or 5010)
- DC 5243Intervertebral disc syndrome
- DC 5244Traumatic paralysis, complete
- DC 5250Hip, ankylosis
- DC 5251Thigh, limitation of extension
- DC 5252Thigh, limitation of flexion
- DC 5253Thigh, impairment
- DC 5254Hip, flail joint
- DC 5256Knee, ankylosis
- DC 5257Knee, other impairment
- DC 5258Cartilage, semilunar, dislocated
- DC 5259Cartilage, semilunar, removal
- DC 5260Leg, limitation of flexion
- DC 5261Leg, limitation of extension
- DC 5262Tibia and fibula, impairment
- DC 5263Genu recurvatum
Also: DC code lookup (tools) lists the same index in a compact layout.
Source: 38 CFR Part 4, Diagnostic Code 5255 • va.gov
⚠️ Important Disclaimer
This page provides general educational information based on public VA regulations and VA.gov resources. It is not legal or medical advice, and My Claim Packet is not a VA-accredited representative. Any worksheets or draft documents produced by the tools must be reviewed for accuracy and are not filed with VA for you. Ratings and service connection are decided case-by-case from the individual record. Consult a VA-accredited VSO, claims agent, attorney, or qualified clinician for help with your situation, and verify current rules using the linked official source.