BVA decisions by condition
Bladder disease: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a bladder disease issue in 1,108 decisions. It granted the bladder disease issue in 12.1% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 27.2%, and remanded it in 57.6%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 30.8% were granted.
Decisions
1,108
2017–2026
Granted
12.1%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
30.8%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
57.6%
Denied: 27.2%
Bladder disease outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 70 | 18.6% | 21.4% | 51.4% | 8.6% |
| 2018 | 152 | 18.4% | 30.3% | 46.7% | 4.6% |
| 2019 | 144 | 12.5% | 31.3% | 51.4% | 4.9% |
| 2020 | 117 | 11.1% | 28.2% | 59.0% | 1.7% |
| 2021 | 119 | 8.4% | 26.9% | 62.2% | 2.5% |
| 2022 | 131 | 7.6% | 22.1% | 68.7% | 1.5% |
| 2023 | 149 | 6.7% | 23.5% | 67.1% | 2.7% |
| 2024 | 112 | 11.6% | 25.9% | 58.9% | 3.6% |
| 2025 | 103 | 16.5% | 29.1% | 51.5% | 2.9% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 bladder disease decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the bladder disease 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 | 122 | 71.4% | 22.1% | +49.4 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 53 | 75.0% | 27.3% | +47.7 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 96 | 62.9% | 25.5% | +37.4 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 302 | 44.6% | 23.7% | +20.9 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 341 | 37.4% | 28.7% | +8.7 pts |
| Lay statement | 814 | 27.8% | 41.9% | −14.2 pts |
| Combat service | 43 | 7.7% | 31.5% | −23.8 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 73.1% of the decisions that granted bladder disease.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 31.3% of grants and 7.6% 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 bladder disease 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 | 525 | 26.3% | 36.2% | −9.9 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 716 | 25.8% | 46.7% | −20.9 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied bladder disease
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established19
- Caused by the service-connected disability8
- Service connection established4
- New and material evidence submitted to reopen claim3
- Diagnosis of bladder cancer3
- Criteria for service connection met2
- Conflicting medical opinions regarding nexus to service2
- Bladder cancer is a presumptive condition under 38 c.f.r. § 3.309(f) for camp lejeune water contamination2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim39
- No current diagnosis30
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis27
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service22
- Service records negative or silent16
- Current diagnosis established16
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability9
- No evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation6
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 bladder disease decisions
Granted
Credible testimony corroborated by subsequent VA treatment records; Benefit of the doubt applied; 60 percent rating warranted for bladder dysfunction
Evidence in approximate balance; Benefit of the doubt afforded; Aggravated by service-connected chronic urinary incontinence
100% rating warranted for active bladder cancer and six months post-surgery.; 10% rating for mild voiding dysfunction supported by contemporaneous records.; Higher ratings denied due to lack of severe symptoms or need for absorbent materials.
Denied
No evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation; No nexus to service or claimed exposures; Bladder disorder did not originate in service, within a year of service, or is not otherwise etiologically related to active service
No complaints or treatment for overactive bladder in service records.; Post-service records and VA examination were negative or inconsistent with claim.; Veteran's lay testimony found not credible due to internal inconsistencies.
Current disorder shown (overactive bladder); No in-service incurrence or complaints found in STRs; VA examiner opined less likely than not caused by TERAs
Rules that apply to bladder disease 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 bladder disease 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 bladder disease 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.