BVA decisions by condition
Bladder neoplasm: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a bladder neoplasm issue in 1,542 decisions. It granted the bladder neoplasm issue in 34.7% of them, above the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 17.8%, and remanded it in 45.4%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 66.1% were granted.
Decisions
1,542
2017–2026
Granted
34.7%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
66.1%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
45.4%
Denied: 17.8%
Bladder neoplasm outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 54 | 13.0% | 31.5% | 53.7% | 1.9% |
| 2018 | 119 | 17.6% | 22.7% | 58.0% | 1.7% |
| 2019 | 209 | 16.7% | 22.0% | 59.3% | 1.9% |
| 2020 | 270 | 19.3% | 22.2% | 58.1% | 0.4% |
| 2021 | 227 | 64.3% | 7.5% | 26.0% | 2.2% |
| 2022 | 164 | 48.8% | 13.4% | 31.1% | 6.7% |
| 2023 | 163 | 39.9% | 11.7% | 45.4% | 3.1% |
| 2024 | 133 | 36.1% | 16.5% | 42.9% | 4.5% |
| 2025 | 160 | 37.5% | 18.8% | 41.9% | 1.9% |
| 2026 | 60 | 41.7% | 23.3% | 31.7% | 3.3% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 neoplasm decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the bladder neoplasm 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 | 284 | 87.3% | 57.8% | +29.4 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 131 | 79.8% | 64.1% | +15.7 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 557 | 74.1% | 60.3% | +13.8 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 116 | 74.4% | 65.3% | +9.1 pts |
| Buddy statement | 43 | 71.4% | 65.9% | +5.5 pts |
| Combat service | 96 | 70.7% | 65.8% | +4.9 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 267 | 54.5% | 67.5% | −13.0 pts |
| Lay statement | 987 | 55.8% | 85.5% | −29.7 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 57.6% of the decisions that granted bladder neoplasm.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 20.7% of grants and 8.4% 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 neoplasm 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 | 766 | 54.7% | 78.6% | −23.8 pts |
| Negative nexus opinion | 565 | 49.7% | 77.0% | −27.3 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied bladder neoplasm
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established124
- Veteran diagnosed with bladder cancer20
- Presumed exposure to herbicide agents17
- Veteran served in vietnam12
- Presumed exposure to herbicide agents due to vietnam service11
- Presumption of herbicide exposure due to vietnam service9
- Bladder cancer is presumptively linked to herbicide exposure9
- Bladder cancer added to presumptive list by ndaa fy20218
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim33
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis32
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service31
- Service records negative or silent24
- No continuity of symptomatology10
- Current diagnosis established9
- No current diagnosis8
- Bladder cancer not a presumptive condition for herbicide exposure7
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 neoplasm decisions
Granted
Presumptive service connection due to herbicide exposure.; Veteran qualified as Nehmer class member.; Effective date of November 29, 2020, granted.
Veteran's testimony regarding herbicide exposure in Panama is credible.; TERA memorandum supports herbicide exposure.; Bladder cancer is associated with herbicide exposure.; Benefit of the doubt resolved in Veteran's favor.
Death certificate and medical opinion suggest active malignancy; Resolving doubt in veteran's favor; 100 percent rating warranted for active malignancy
Denied
No assertion of in-service onset; VA examiner opinion found less likelihood of service connection; Opinion based on lack of evidence linking TERA to bladder cancer; Veteran has extensive smoking history
No new and relevant evidence submitted; Veteran's testimony did not address bladder tumor; Readjudication not warranted
No competent evidence of in-service incurrence.; No evidence of toxic exposure or contaminated water.; No persuasive medical or lay evidence linking condition to service.
Rules that apply to bladder neoplasm 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 neoplasm 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 neoplasm 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.