Disability for Degenerative Hip Joints: Benefits & Filing

Degenerative hip joints (also known as osteoarthritis of the hip) are caused by a loss of cartilage, a tissue that protects your joints, in the hip. Over time, the loss of cartilage—which allows the bones to glide smoothly past one another without pain—gets worse, making it difficult to perform basic movements such as walking, sitting, and standing.

If pain from your hip osteoarthritis keeps you from working full-time for at least twelve months, you may qualify for SSDI or SSI disability benefits. Knowing what medical evidence Social Security will be looking for in your application and how the agency evaluates claims based on musculoskeletal disorders can help you increase your chances of getting benefits earlier.

When Are Degenerative Hip Joints Considered Disabling?

Just having a diagnosis of degenerative hip joints isn’t enough to qualify for disability. The Social Security Administration (SSA) awards disability benefits to people who have a medically determinable impairment that keeps them from earning at the level of substantial gainful activity for one year or longer. Under this standard, you’re considered disabled if your symptoms cause limitations that either meet a listed impairment or result in a medical-vocational allowance.

Symptoms of degenerative hip joints can range from mild to extreme. The worse your symptoms are (as documented by your medical records), the more likely it is that the SSA will find that you’re disabled. Common symptoms of hip degeneration include:

• pain, swelling, and tenderness in the hip
• stiffness after being in one position for a period of time,
• an inability to move your hip to perform routine activities, such as putting on your socks,
• weakness and shrinking of the thigh muscle
• shortening of the leg, and
• knee pain on the side of the affected hip.

Treatment for degenerative hip joints depends on how intense your pain is. Mild symptoms can often be treated with rest and over-the-counter pain medications. People with worse pain may be prescribed stronger medications and a walking aid (such as a cane). If the pain becomes bad enough, hip surgery may be recommended to either replace the hip joint or fuse the bones of the joint together.

Meeting a Disability Listing for Degenerative Hip Joints

Listed impairments are medical conditions that can qualify you for disability automatically (meaning you don’t need to show that you can’t do any job), but only if very specific evidence is present in your claim file. For people with degenerative hip joints, the SSA can evaluate your condition under listing 1.18 for abnormality of a major joint. To meet the requirements of listing 1.18, you’ll need to provide evidence of all of the following:

• chronic joint pain and stiffness in your hip
• abnormal range of motion, instability, or immobility in your hip, and
• physical examination or medical imaging (such as an MRI or X-ray) that demonstrates hip degeneration.

Social Security will review your medical records—particularly your doctors’ notes, range of motion tests, and imaging—for specific terms describing what’s wrong with your hip. The agency will be on the lookout for descriptions such as:

• subluxation (partial dislocation of the hip)
• contracture (tightening of the tissues in the hip)
• joint space narrowing
• ankylosis (stiffness due to fused bones or hard tissue), or
• arthrodesis (surgical bone fusion).

The SSA will also need to see that you have physical limitations resulting from your hip generation, in the form of using mobility devices like a walker, bilateral canes or crutches, or a wheelchair that requires both hands to operate.

The criteria listed above must be present at the same time or within a "close proximity of time," typically meaning 4 months (12 months during the “pandemic period” beginning April 2, 2021 and ending on May 11, 2025, or the "post-pandemic period" beginning May 12, 2025 and ending on May 11, 2029). So if you had evidence of symptoms, signs, and functional limitations from hip degeneration in 2020 but didn’t have an MRI until 2024, Social Security might not count the MRI—unless, in a doctor's opinion, the MRI findings could be reasonably expected to have been present in 2020.

Social Security's “Blue Book” of impairments includes other listings that are associated with chronic joint pain, like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus. If you have medical conditions in addition to bad hips, you might be able to qualify for disability benefits by showing that your joint symptoms are medically equivalent to the symptoms in one of these listings.

Getting Disability With Reduced Functioning Due to Degenerative Hip Joints

Even if you don't meet a disability listing, you can still receive Social Security disability benefits if you’re unable to work at all due to your degenerative hip joints. For example, if your doctor says you don't need a walker or wheelchair, you won't meet listing 1.18, which requires you to use an “ambulatory aid”. But if you’re unable to be on your feet longer than 30 minutes without pain, the SSA could find that no jobs exist that you can do.

Residual Functional Capacity for Degenerative Hip Joints

Social Security uses a residual functional capacity (RFC) assessment to determine whether you can work. Your RFC reflects what you’re still able to do in a work environment, physically and mentally, as well as what you shouldn’t do because of functional limitations. The agency will look at your medical records as well as your activities of daily living to determine your RFC. Here’s an example of a typical RFC for somebody with degenerative hip joints:

Any limitations that are documented in your medical records should be included in your RFC, so let Social Security know if you have any other health restrictions, even if they aren’t related to your hip degeneration. The agency is required to consider how combined impairments interact when assessing your RFC.

How Social Security Uses Your RFC to See What Jobs You Can Do

Once Social Security completes your RFC assessment, the agency will review your work history and compare the demands of your past jobs with the limitations in your current RFC to determine whether you can do those jobs now. If you can’t, the agency will need to see whether other jobs exist that you can do despite the restrictions in your RFC.

For disability applicants (“claimants”) younger than 50, Social Security generally needs to see that you’re unable to perform the easiest, sit-down jobs. (Using the above example, Frida has an RFC for what the agency calls “less than sedentary work,” meaning she’ll get disability benefits.) For claimants 50 years of age or older, the SSA will use its medical-vocational grid to see whether you can learn to do an easier job, given your age, education, and job skills.

How Much Will I Get in Disability If I Win?

Social Security doesn't award benefits based on the type of medical condition you have, so there’s no specific amount paid to people who have degenerative hip joints. Rather, the amount you'll receive if you're approved depends on whether you qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Disabled people with a lengthy work history may be eligible for SSDI, while those with limited income and assets could be eligible for SSI. You can learn more about these programs—and calculate your estimated benefit amount— in our article on SSDI and SSI monthly check amounts.

Filing for Disability Benefits

Applying for SSDI or SSI is a fairly straightforward process. You can choose from one of the methods below to begin your claim.

• One easy way is to file online. You don’t have to complete the application in one sitting, and you’ll get a tracking number so you can check the status of your claim.
• You can also apply over the phone by calling Social Security at 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778) 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• If you prefer to file in person, you can schedule an appointment with a representative at your local Social Security field office.

Don’t delay filing because you don’t have all the documents or information you need, as waiting to apply could reduce the amount of disability back pay you can get. Social Security will help you gather whatever you’re missing, including your medical records.

What If My Application is Denied?

Few disability applicants are awarded benefits on their first try. If you're denied, you’ll need to submit an appeal (“reconsideration”) of your application before you can request a hearing with an administrative law judge. Most people who are awarded disability don’t get approved until after a hearing with a judge, a process that can take about a year (or more, in some cases.)

You aren’t required to get legal assistance during any part of the disability determination process, but it’s usually a good idea. An experienced lawyer can help you gather the evidence you need to show that you’re disabled and can handle communications with Social Security so that you don’t miss any important appeal deadlines. Disability attorneys work on contingency (meaning they get paid only if you win) and many offer free consultations, so it doesn’t hurt to ask around to find a lawyer you like.