BVA decisions by condition
Acquired psychiatric disorder: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a acquired psychiatric disorder issue in 1,533 decisions. It granted the acquired psychiatric disorder issue in 11.2% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 7.8%, and remanded it in 69.8%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 58.9% were granted.
From Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions: appeals, not VA's first decisions. Issue-level outcomes.
Decisions
1,533
2017–2026
Granted
11.2%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
58.9%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
69.8%
Denied: 7.8%
At a glance
Evidence in granted and denied acquired psychiatric disorder decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the acquired psychiatric disorder 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 | 435 | 84.5% | 38.7% | +45.8 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 302 | 84.7% | 48.3% | +36.4 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 88 | 77.8% | 57.0% | +20.8 pts |
| Combat service | 110 | 77.4% | 56.7% | +20.7 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 599 | 64.6% | 53.1% | +11.5 pts |
| Buddy statement | 75 | 56.3% | 59.1% | −2.8 pts |
| Lay statement | 1,319 | 56.5% | 75.7% | −19.2 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 74.4% of the decisions that granted acquired psychiatric disorder.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 34.3% of grants and 8.3% 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 acquired psychiatric disorder 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 | 860 | 48.3% | 69.7% | −21.4 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 1,214 | 53.7% | 76.9% | −23.2 pts |
Recent acquired psychiatric disorder decisions
Granted
Veteran's symptoms approximate criteria for 70 percent rating.; Benefit of the doubt applied to grant the 70 percent rating.; Symptoms include anxiety, depressed mood, impaired impulse control, and social difficulties.
Weight of evidence supports 50% rating.; Symptoms identified (anxiety, memory loss, difficulty adapting, impaired impulse control) align with criteria for 50% rating.; Veteran's employment and family relationships, though sometimes strained, prevent higher rating.
VA treatment records demonstrate ongoing and chronic suicidal ideation, irritability with reports of violence, depression, lack of appetite, anger, and difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances.; Bankhead v. Shulkin, 29 Vet. App. 10, 18-19 (2017) supports a higher rating based on suicidal ideation.; Resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor, the Board finds the acquired psychiatric disorder and residuals of TBI manifest in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.
Denied
Symptoms more characteristic of 70% rating than 100%; Improvement with medication noted; Total occupational and social impairment not demonstrated
Symptoms approximated 50% rating level; Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity; Difficulty adapting to stress noted, but overall impairment consistent with 50%
Symptoms did not rise to the level of total occupational and social impairment required for 100% rating.; Inability to perform ADLs attributed to other service-connected disabilities, not acquired psychiatric disorder.; Positive social relationships weigh against total social impairment.
Acquired psychiatric disorder outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 84 | 14.3% | 2.4% | 64.3% | 19.0% |
| 2018 | 181 | 11.0% | 4.4% | 68.0% | 16.6% |
| 2019 | 180 | 10.6% | 7.8% | 69.4% | 12.2% |
| 2020 | 171 | 12.3% | 7.6% | 68.4% | 11.7% |
| 2021 | 145 | 7.6% | 11.0% | 70.3% | 11.0% |
| 2022 | 162 | 8.0% | 4.3% | 75.9% | 11.7% |
| 2023 | 193 | 6.7% | 10.4% | 71.0% | 11.9% |
| 2024 | 177 | 11.3% | 6.8% | 72.9% | 9.0% |
| 2025 | 162 | 16.7% | 11.7% | 66.7% | 4.9% |
| 2026 | 80 | 20.0% | 11.3% | 65.0% | 3.8% |
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.
Why the Board granted or denied acquired psychiatric disorder
Most common reasons in grants
- Service connection established2
- 100% rating for total occupational/social impairment1
- August 2019 VA examination indicated mild or transient symptoms causing occupational and social impairment1
- Bankhead v. shulkin, 29 vet. app. 10, 18-19 (2017) supports a higher rating based on suicidal ideation1
- Behavior posed persistent danger to self and others1
- Board bound by favorable aoj finding granting 100% based on apr 2022 exam1
- Board could not ascertain specific date of worsening prior to april 1, 2024, but assigned that effective date1
- Board found evidence weighed against total impairment for 100% rating1
Most common reasons in denials
- Total occupational and social impairment not demonstrated2
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim2
- No current diagnosis2
- Consistent denial of delusions and hallucinations1
- Current diagnosis established1
- Deficiencies in most areas of occupational and social functioning noted1
- Did not meet criteria for total occupational/social impairment (100%)1
- Difficulty adapting to stress noted, but overall impairment consistent with 50%1
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.
Positive nexus opinions track far higher psychiatric grant rates
On the merits, Board decisions on an acquired psychiatric disorder granted 84.5% of the time when the record held a positive nexus opinion, against 38.7% when it did not.
Requirements for establishing service connection
The Board decided 1,533 appeals on this condition. Most went back for more work: 69.8% were remanded, 11.2% granted and 7.8% denied. Among decisions reached on the merits, 58.9% were grants. The grant rate moved from 6.7% in 2023 to 20.0% in 2026. No current diagnosis was a top denial reason in 2 decisions.
The medical opinion lines up most closely with outcome. A favorable VA exam appeared in 302 decisions, which granted 84.7% versus 48.3% without one. An unfavorable VA exam was far more common, in 1,214 decisions, with a grant rate of 53.7%. A negative nexus opinion appeared in 860 decisions, which granted 48.3% versus 69.7% without.
Private and treating opinions also track higher grants. Decisions with a private opinion granted 64.6% versus 53.1%. Those with a treating physician opinion granted 77.8% versus 57.0%, though only 88 decisions had one. Combat service appeared in 110 decisions, with a grant rate of 77.4% against 56.7%.
Positive nexus opinion
Favorable VA exam
Treating physician opinion
Combat service
Private opinion
Share of merits decisions granted. Associations only; the data does not show that any evidence type caused a grant.
Lay statements show the reverse pattern. They appeared in 1,319 decisions, which granted 56.5% versus 75.7% without them. The data does not show why. Benefit of the doubt was cited in 74.4% of grants.
Negative nexus opinion
Unfavorable VA exam
Lay statement
Share of merits decisions granted. Lower grant rates with lay statements are an association; the data does not explain them.
Rating percentage criteria
Top reasons are sparse here, so read them as examples only. Total occupational and social impairment not demonstrated was a denial reason in 2 decisions. One denial noted deficiencies in most areas of functioning, in 1 decision. On the grant side, a total rating for total impairment was the reason in 1 decision, and the Board was bound by a favorable AOJ finding in 1.
Diagnostic distinctions between suicidal ideation and total impairment
Bankhead v. Shulkin, 29 Vet. App. 10 (2017), was cited for a higher rating based on suicidal ideation in 1 grant. Behavior posing a persistent danger to self and others drove 1 more. These counts are too small to show a pattern.
Figures from the research data as of Oct 19, 2026. Every number is computed from the data, which is extracted by AI from public decisions and can contain errors.
Rules that apply to acquired psychiatric disorder 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 acquired psychiatric disorder 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 acquired psychiatric disorder 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.
Where this data comes from
- Claim
- Regional office decides
- Veteran appeals
- Board decides
- Granted · Denied · Remanded: back to the regional office
Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions show how VA's highest review body applies 38 CFR and weighs evidence on contested claims.
Each one is an appeal: a regional office decided the claim first, and the veteran appealed. So these rates describe the Board, not a veteran's odds at the regional office, where most claims are decided and whose decisions are not public.
More on what Board decisions can and cannot tell you