BVA decisions by condition
Allergic or vasomotor rhinitis: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a allergic or vasomotor rhinitis issue in 6,814 decisions. It granted the allergic or vasomotor rhinitis issue in 18.6% of them, close to the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 41.8%, and remanded it in 38.9%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 30.9% were granted.
Decisions
6,814
2017–2026
Granted
18.6%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
30.9%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
38.9%
Denied: 41.8%
Allergic or vasomotor rhinitis outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 273 | 12.5% | 43.2% | 39.9% | 4.4% |
| 2018 | 495 | 12.9% | 37.4% | 46.5% | 3.2% |
| 2019 | 598 | 10.7% | 38.5% | 48.2% | 2.7% |
| 2020 | 570 | 11.8% | 41.8% | 45.4% | 1.1% |
| 2021 | 562 | 14.8% | 37.2% | 47.2% | 0.9% |
| 2022 | 554 | 23.5% | 32.5% | 42.1% | 2.0% |
| 2023 | 678 | 26.1% | 28.6% | 42.9% | 2.4% |
| 2024 | 989 | 25.2% | 36.3% | 36.3% | 2.2% |
| 2025 | 1,717 | 17.4% | 53.6% | 27.3% | 1.7% |
| 2026 | 530 | 20.6% | 47.9% | 30.0% | 1.5% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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.
Evidence in granted and denied allergic or vasomotor rhinitis decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the allergic or vasomotor rhinitis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buddy statement | 156 | 59.6% | 30.2% | +29.3 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 996 | 53.7% | 25.8% | +28.0 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 278 | 52.6% | 29.8% | +22.8 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 971 | 47.9% | 26.9% | +21.1 pts |
| Combat service | 376 | 46.9% | 29.8% | +17.1 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 323 | 47.3% | 30.5% | +16.8 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 1,898 | 40.0% | 26.8% | +13.3 pts |
| Lay statement | 5,354 | 31.2% | 29.5% | +1.6 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 63.1% of the decisions that granted allergic or vasomotor rhinitis.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 34.6% of grants and 14.6% 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 allergic or vasomotor rhinitis 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 | 3,132 | 33.6% | 28.5% | +5.1 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 5,293 | 29.4% | 38.7% | −9.2 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied allergic or vasomotor rhinitis
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established206
- Presumptive service connection under 38 c.f.r. § 3.32052
- Criteria for service connection met29
- Pact act presumptive service connection23
- Service in southwest asia theater of operations20
- Qualifying service in southwest asia18
- Pact act presumption applied15
- Qualifying service in southwest asia theater of operations15
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim234
- No current diagnosis149
- Criteria for compensable rating not met119
- No evidence of nasal polyps115
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis98
- No nasal polyps95
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service93
- Service records negative or silent78
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.
Recent allergic or vasomotor rhinitis decisions
Granted
Direct service connection established; Caused by active duty; Benefit of doubt resolved in Veteran's favor
Presumptive service connection granted under PACT Act; Qualifying Persian Gulf service and diagnosis of allergic rhinitis; Presumption for chronic diseases associated with fine particulate matter exposure
Veteran is a Persian Gulf Veteran presumed exposed to fine particulate matter.; Post-service medical evidence shows current allergic rhinitis diagnosis.; PACT Act provides presumptive service connection for chronic rhinitis.
Denied
No evidence of nasal polyps; No evidence of nasal obstruction greater than 50%; Did not meet criteria for higher rating
Medical evidence did not show obstruction >50% or complete obstruction on one side prior to May 3, 2023.; March 2026 VA examiner stated earlier progression would be speculative without further documentation.; Veteran's lay statements of increased symptoms were less probative than medical findings.
No diagnosis of chronic rhinitis found in medical records.; VA examination found no diagnosis and no acute abnormalities.; Symptoms did not cause functional impairment of earning capacity.
Rules that apply to allergic or vasomotor rhinitis 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 allergic or vasomotor rhinitis 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 allergic or vasomotor rhinitis 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.