Hip Limitation Claimed Secondary to Back or Neck Strain

Educational reference, not legal advice or claims assistance. This page reports aggregate outcomes for a documented claim pairing. It does not tell you whether to file and it does not predict your result. For help with a specific claim, work with a free VA-accredited representative.

Hip Limitation (VA diagnostic code 5252) is sometimes claimed as secondary to service-connected Back or Neck Strain (code 5237) under 38 CFR 3.310. This page reports what published Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions on that pairing show. It is an encyclopedic reference, not a forecast.

What published Board decisions show

Across 935 published Board (BVA) decisions in our index where hip limitation was claimed as secondary to back or neck strain, the outcomes broke down as follows. These are historical aggregates of decided appeals, not a prediction for any individual claim.

10%
Granted
44%
Denied
42%
Remanded
Granted 98Denied 416Remanded 397 (sent back for more development)

Counting only appeals that were granted or denied (setting aside remands), about 19% were granted. A remand is not a loss; it means the Board needed more evidence before deciding.

Source: aggregate of published BVA decisions indexed by RateMyVSO. Secondary service connection rule: 38 CFR § 3.310. Figures describe decided appeals and can change as new decisions are indexed.

How this pairing works

A secondary claim says hip limitation flows from a service-connected back or neck strain. Whether the medical link exists in any one case is a medical question decided on that case's own evidence (the nexus). See the Secondary Claim guide.

What a secondary claim on this pairing needs

Under 38 CFR 3.310 a secondary claim turns on three elements:

  • A current diagnosis: a medical diagnosis of hip limitation (the secondary).
  • A service-connected primary: Back or Neck Strain, already service-connected (the primary). A 0% primary still counts.
  • A medical nexus: a medical opinion linking the hip limitation to the back or neck strain, showing the primary caused or aggravated it.

See the Secondary Claim guide for the caused-versus-aggravated split, and the Nexus Letter guide for what makes the medical opinion strong.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Back or Neck Strain have to be highly rated to support a hip limitation secondary claim?

No. 38 CFR 3.310 looks at whether the service-connected Back or Neck Strain caused or aggravated the hip limitation, not at how severe the Back or Neck Strain rating is. Even a 0% service-connected primary can anchor a secondary claim.

What do the percentages on this page mean?

They are the historical outcomes of 935 published Board decisions on this exact pairing: 10% granted, 44% denied, 42% remanded. They describe decided appeals already on record. They do not predict what would happen in any individual case.

RateMyVSO. Educational resource. Not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Not legal advice. All RateMyVSO tools are free. Find a VSO representative for personalized guidance.