BVA decisions by condition
Asthma: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a asthma issue in 2,199 decisions. It granted the asthma issue in 27.1% of them, above the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 23.4%, and remanded it in 48.6%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 53.7% were granted.
Decisions
2,199
2017–2026
Granted
27.1%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
53.7%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
48.6%
Denied: 23.4%
Asthma outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 73 | 6.8% | 34.2% | 45.2% | 13.7% |
| 2018 | 112 | 13.4% | 21.4% | 60.7% | 4.5% |
| 2019 | 161 | 8.1% | 28.6% | 60.2% | 3.1% |
| 2020 | 220 | 17.3% | 28.2% | 53.6% | 0.9% |
| 2021 | 232 | 20.3% | 19.4% | 56.9% | 3.4% |
| 2022 | 288 | 31.6% | 18.1% | 46.2% | 4.2% |
| 2023 | 296 | 27.0% | 22.3% | 47.0% | 3.7% |
| 2024 | 332 | 39.2% | 19.0% | 38.9% | 3.0% |
| 2025 | 408 | 30.6% | 27.5% | 40.4% | 1.5% |
| 2026 | 137 | 38.7% | 19.0% | 40.9% | 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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 asthma decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the asthma 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 | 384 | 78.3% | 48.4% | +29.9 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 351 | 76.0% | 48.6% | +27.4 pts |
| Combat service | 151 | 75.3% | 52.2% | +23.2 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 170 | 72.0% | 51.7% | +20.2 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 673 | 60.3% | 50.9% | +9.4 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 151 | 46.9% | 54.0% | −7.1 pts |
| Lay statement | 1,768 | 49.6% | 70.0% | −20.3 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 57.6% of the decisions that granted asthma.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 27.0% of grants and 13.6% 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 asthma 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 | 1,135 | 51.4% | 56.0% | −4.6 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 1,694 | 50.1% | 71.2% | −21.1 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied asthma
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established87
- Presumptive service connection under 38 c.f.r. § 3.32022
- Veteran served in southwest asia during persian gulf war17
- Pact act presumptive service connection for asthma11
- Service in southwest asia theater of operations10
- Qualifying service in southwest asia theater of operations10
- Presumed exposure to fine particulate matter9
- Asthma manifested within 10 years of separation9
Most common reasons in denials
- Service records negative or silent38
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service37
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis34
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim34
- No current diagnosis18
- Current diagnosis established7
- Pulmonary function tests did not meet criteria for higher rating7
- Clear and unmistakable evidence of pre-existing asthma6
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 asthma decisions
Granted
Asthma rated under DC 6602; Requires intermittent inhalational use; Does not require daily therapy or anti-inflammatory medication; Pulmonary function tests do not meet criteria for higher rating
Aggravated by service; Presumptive under 38 C.F.R. § 3.320; Benefit of the doubt applied
March 2024 VA DBQ with positive nexus opinion; August 2025 non-VA medical opinion relating asthma to in-service TERA; Benefit of the doubt doctrine applied due to approximately balanced evidence
Denied
Pulmonary function tests (FEV-1 85% predicted, FEV-1/FVC 78% predicted) did not meet criteria for higher rating.; Asthma evaluated at 10% under DC 6602.; No evidence of daily bronchodilator or anti-inflammatory medication use, or frequent corticosteroid bursts.
Did not meet criteria for higher rating (60% or more); No monthly physician visits for exacerbations; No systemic corticosteroid use; PFT results did not meet threshold
Clear and unmistakable evidence of pre-existing asthma; No evidence of in-service aggravation; Conflicting statements diminished credibility regarding asthma treatment
Rules that apply to asthma 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 asthma 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 asthma 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.