BVA decisions by condition
Bronchitis: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a bronchitis issue in 563 decisions. It granted the bronchitis issue in 7.3% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 30.9%, and remanded it in 60.4%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 19.1% were granted.
Decisions
563
2017–2026
Granted
7.3%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
19.1%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
60.4%
Denied: 30.9%
Bronchitis outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 52 | 5.8% | 36.5% | 55.8% | 1.9% |
| 2020 | 86 | 4.7% | 41.9% | 52.3% | 1.2% |
| 2021 | 50 | 4.0% | 40.0% | 50.0% | 6.0% |
| 2022 | 67 | 6.0% | 25.4% | 67.2% | 1.5% |
| 2023 | 59 | 10.2% | 27.1% | 62.7% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 64 | 7.8% | 25.0% | 65.6% | 1.6% |
| 2025 | 94 | 11.7% | 25.5% | 62.8% | 0.0% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 bronchitis decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the bronchitis 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 | 82 | 48.4% | 14.1% | +34.3 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 71 | 44.4% | 16.8% | +27.7 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 69 | 36.4% | 15.9% | +20.4 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 166 | 29.1% | 15.6% | +13.5 pts |
| Lay statement | 470 | 18.9% | 20.0% | −1.1 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 80.5% of the decisions that granted bronchitis.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 26.8% of grants and 9.8% 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 bronchitis 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 | 322 | 21.1% | 16.1% | +5.0 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 450 | 19.4% | 17.2% | +2.1 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied bronchitis
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established7
- Service connection established2
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis35
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim18
- Current diagnosis established15
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service12
- Service records negative or silent8
- No continuity of symptomatology5
- No nexus to service established3
- Evidence weighs against claim3
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 bronchitis decisions
Granted
Evidence supports 60 percent rating through December 26, 2023.; December 2023 PFT results met criteria for 60 percent rating.; Subsequent periods did not meet criteria for higher ratings.
September 2024 post-bronchodilator FEV-1 of 68 percent predicted; Continuing reports of shortness of breath; Benefit of the doubt resolved in Veteran's favor
Requires outpatient oxygen therapy; Warranted change from DC 6602 to DC 6600; Supported by VA treatment records, private provider notes, and VA examiner opinions
Denied
No current diagnosis of chronic bronchitis found in the record.; Evidence persuasively weighs against finding chronic bronchitis.; Veteran's reported symptoms attributed to COPD and asthma.
December 2023 PFT results did not meet criteria for 10 percent rating.; Veteran did not meet criteria for daily bronchodilator use or frequent corticosteroid use.; Evidence did not support higher rating for this period.
In-service treatment for bronchitis documented; Current diagnosis of chronic bronchitis, emphysema, COPD; Most probative medical opinion links chronic condition to smoking history; In-service bronchitis resolved and not related to current chronic condition
Rules that apply to bronchitis 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 bronchitis 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 bronchitis 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.