BVA decisions by condition
Arthritis: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a arthritis issue in 1,005 decisions. It granted the arthritis issue in 18.2% of them, close to the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 29.8%, and remanded it in 51.6%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 38.0% were granted.
Decisions
1,005
2017–2026
Granted
18.2%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
38.0%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
51.6%
Denied: 29.8%
Arthritis outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 77 | 7.8% | 27.3% | 62.3% | 2.6% |
| 2018 | 112 | 11.6% | 34.8% | 50.9% | 2.7% |
| 2019 | 141 | 8.5% | 37.6% | 51.8% | 2.1% |
| 2020 | 215 | 15.8% | 31.6% | 51.6% | 0.9% |
| 2021 | 155 | 18.1% | 32.3% | 49.0% | 0.6% |
| 2022 | 112 | 17.0% | 27.7% | 54.5% | 0.9% |
| 2023 | 182 | 15.4% | 26.9% | 54.4% | 3.3% |
| 2024 | 162 | 25.3% | 24.7% | 48.8% | 1.2% |
| 2025 | 129 | 21.7% | 20.2% | 57.4% | 0.8% |
| 2026 | 52 | 23.1% | 19.2% | 53.8% | 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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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.
Evidence in granted and denied arthritis decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the arthritis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorable VA exam | 116 | 65.8% | 32.8% | +33.0 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 132 | 64.6% | 32.5% | +32.1 pts |
| Combat service | 64 | 60.0% | 36.5% | +23.5 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 139 | 48.1% | 36.7% | +11.3 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 275 | 44.8% | 35.1% | +9.7 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 55 | 44.4% | 37.4% | +7.0 pts |
| Lay statement | 819 | 37.8% | 39.0% | −1.2 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 67.2% of the decisions that granted arthritis.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 47.0% of grants and 15.1% 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 arthritis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unfavorable VA exam | 733 | 38.1% | 37.5% | +0.6 pts |
| Negative nexus opinion | 497 | 37.9% | 38.1% | −0.2 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied arthritis
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established26
- Continuity of symptomatology since service14
- Caused by the service-connected disability5
- Resolving all doubt in favor of the veteran3
- Service connection established2
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability2
- Inadequate VA nexus opinions2
- Evidence at least evenly balanced2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim39
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis37
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service32
- Service records negative or silent21
- Current diagnosis established16
- No continuity of symptomatology14
- No current diagnosis13
- Continuity of symptomatology since service9
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 arthritis decisions
Granted
In-service complaints documented; Prognostic opinion from April 2022; Nexus established
Secondary to service-connected cervical spine disability; Private medical opinion found probative; At least as likely as not caused by cervical spine disability
Service connection for right hand arthritis is warranted.; Evidence supports finding that right hand arthritis is part of reactive arthritis with onset during service.; Favorable opinions from treating rheumatologist and VA examiners given greater weight.
Denied
No in-service diagnosis or presumptive manifestation; No continuity of symptomatology established; No nexus to in-service injury or event
Evidence persuasively weighs against claim; No in-service complaints or diagnoses; Minimal probative value of lay assertions; Lack of corroborating evidence
Lack of in-service treatment; Late diagnosis; VA examiner opinion: less likely than not service-related
Rules that apply to arthritis 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 arthritis 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 arthritis 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.