A hip C&P exam is usually short. Twenty to thirty minutes, a few questions, some measured movements, and it is over. The brevity is misleading: most of what determines the percentage is decided in those minutes, because the rating codes are written in degrees and the examiner supplies the degrees.
Knowing what is being measured lets you answer accurately. It is not about performing; it is about not accidentally understating a condition you have spent years working around.
The form the examiner uses
Hip exams are documented on the Hip and Thigh Conditions Disability Benefits Questionnaire, VA Form 21-0960M-8. Reading it beforehand is the single most useful preparation step, because it lists every finding the rater will see. The general process is described on the VA's own claim exam page.
What gets measured
The examiner uses a goniometer to record range of motion in each direction, comparing the affected hip to the other one.
- Flexion, normally 0 to 125 degrees
- Extension, normally to 0 degrees, with any limitation noted
- Abduction, normally 0 to 45 degrees, and adduction including whether you can cross your legs
- External and internal rotation, including whether you can toe out beyond 15 degrees
- The point in the arc where pain begins, which is recorded separately from where motion ends
- Muscle strength on a 0 to 5 scale, and any atrophy measured by thigh circumference
The pain-onset point matters because of 38 CFR 4.59, which requires the minimum compensable rating where there is actually painful motion. If pain starts at 40 degrees of flexion and motion continues to 90, both numbers belong in the record.
Repeated use and flare-ups
The examiner is required to test motion after at least three repetitions and to note whether motion, pain, weakness, fatigability, or incoordination changes. 38 CFR 4.40 and 4.45 make that functional loss part of the rating, and 38 CFR 4.1 requires the evaluation to reflect the disability over time rather than one moment.
If your hip is worse after activity or during a flare, say so specifically and quantify it: how much less you can walk, how the motion changes, how long a flare lasts, and how often they happen. An examiner cannot record what nobody describes.
How to prepare
Preparation is about accuracy, not strategy.
- Do not take extra pain medication beforehand to get through the exam comfortably; it produces a measurement that does not reflect your usual state
- Do not push through motion past the point of pain to show you can do it; stop where the pain actually starts and say so
- Describe your average day and your worst days, not just how you feel that morning
- Bring a short written summary of your symptoms, treatment, and what you can no longer do
- Mention every related complaint - groin pain, buttock pain, clicking, giving way, night pain, stairs, and difficulty putting on shoes and socks
Where veterans start
Every case is different, and there is no obligation at any step. When veterans want to understand what their records actually support, these are the two most common starting points:
- Medical records review
A licensed physician reviews your records for a $250 flat fee and identifies which conditions the available evidence may support. The fee is refunded in full if nothing supportable is identified.
- Nexus letter
When the records support one, a licensed provider writes the medical opinion that addresses the link between your condition and your service or an already service-connected disability.
After the exam
Request a copy of the completed questionnaire through your VA health record or a records request, and read the measurements. Examiner errors are common and correctable: omitted rotation findings, no pain-onset point, no repeated-use testing, or a range recorded that plainly conflicts with your treatment records.
Where the exam is inadequate on its face, that is a specific and documentable problem rather than a general disagreement with the outcome. Our rating code guide helps you check the recorded degrees against the criteria.
Where to go next
Read the evidence guide for what should already be in the file before the exam, and the hip pillar for how service connection is established. If the exam addressed a secondary claim, our hip secondary guide covers what the examiner should have considered.
Strength and stability testing
Beyond range of motion, the exam typically includes manual muscle strength testing of the hip flexors, extensors, abductors, and adductors on a 0 to 5 scale, along with a check for instability such as a positive Trendelenburg sign when standing on the affected leg. Atrophy is assessed by comparing thigh circumference between the two legs at a fixed point above the knee.
These findings do not map to a specific diagnostic code the way range of motion does, but they support the overall picture of severity and are often what an opinion relies on when arguing for a higher evaluation than motion measurements alone would suggest.
Exams for secondary hip claims
When the claim is for a hip condition secondary to a service-connected knee, ankle, foot, or back condition, the examiner is also asked to address the relationship between the two, not just measure the hip in isolation. This typically means the examiner reviews the file for the primary condition's severity and documented gait findings before offering an opinion on causation or aggravation.
Veterans in this position should be ready to describe the sequence clearly: when the primary condition became more severe, when hip symptoms began, and how daily function changed in between. A vague timeline makes it harder for even a sympathetic examiner to connect the two conditions in writing.
When a video or virtual exam is used
Some hip exams are conducted using telehealth video technology rather than in person, particularly for follow-up evaluations. Range-of-motion measurement is harder to perform accurately by video, so a virtual exam should still include specific, itemized findings rather than a general description, and a veteran who feels the remote format did not allow for an accurate assessment can raise that as a specific concern.
The VA's own claim exam page describes the range of formats an exam may take. Whatever the format, the same documentation requirements under 38 CFR 4.59, 4.40, and 4.45 apply.
Frequently asked questions
Who performs the VA hip C&P exam?
VA compensation and pension exams are typically performed by a VA clinician or a contracted examiner, which can include physicians, physician assistants, or nurse practitioners. The examiner completes the Hip and Thigh Conditions Disability Benefits Questionnaire, VA Form 21-0960M-8, based on the history given, the physical findings, and the record available at the time of the exam.
What happens if I cannot make it through the full range-of-motion testing?
Tell the examiner directly rather than pushing through or stopping without explanation. If pain, weakness, or instability prevents completing a movement, that limitation itself is a finding the examiner should record, and 38 CFR 4.59 and 4.40 require functional loss from pain to factor into the evaluation.
Can I bring someone with me to the exam?
VA generally allows a support person to accompany a veteran to a claim exam, though that person typically observes rather than answers questions for the veteran. Checking the appointment notice or contacting the exam facility beforehand confirms the specific policy for a given appointment.
What if I disagree with the exam findings afterward?
Requesting a copy of the completed questionnaire and comparing it against your treatment records is the first step. If the exam appears incomplete, such as missing repeated-use testing or a pain-onset point, that is a specific, documentable basis to raise, separate from simply disagreeing with the resulting percentage.