BVA decisions by condition
Chronic bronchitis: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a chronic bronchitis issue in 1,615 decisions. It granted the chronic bronchitis issue in 12.7% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 32.9%, and remanded it in 52.9%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 27.8% were granted.
Decisions
1,615
2017–2026
Granted
12.7%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
27.8%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
52.9%
Denied: 32.9%
Chronic bronchitis outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 106 | 5.7% | 32.1% | 55.7% | 6.6% |
| 2018 | 163 | 4.9% | 35.6% | 55.2% | 4.3% |
| 2019 | 168 | 6.5% | 29.8% | 62.5% | 1.2% |
| 2020 | 145 | 8.3% | 31.7% | 57.2% | 2.8% |
| 2021 | 145 | 16.6% | 27.6% | 54.5% | 1.4% |
| 2022 | 156 | 14.1% | 36.5% | 47.4% | 1.9% |
| 2023 | 186 | 16.1% | 26.9% | 55.9% | 1.1% |
| 2024 | 198 | 14.6% | 24.2% | 58.6% | 2.5% |
| 2025 | 282 | 16.3% | 41.5% | 41.1% | 1.1% |
| 2026 | 90 | 20.0% | 36.7% | 41.1% | 2.2% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 chronic bronchitis decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the chronic 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 | 233 | 55.1% | 20.5% | +34.6 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 198 | 55.7% | 21.8% | +33.9 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 59 | 51.7% | 26.8% | +24.9 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 415 | 40.3% | 23.1% | +17.2 pts |
| Combat service | 88 | 40.0% | 27.0% | +13.0 pts |
| Buddy statement | 45 | 34.8% | 27.6% | +7.2 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 164 | 27.6% | 27.8% | −0.2 pts |
| Lay statement | 1,262 | 26.9% | 31.7% | −4.8 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 74.1% of the decisions that granted chronic bronchitis.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 29.8% of grants and 13.0% 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 chronic 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unfavorable VA exam | 1,177 | 28.3% | 25.7% | +2.6 pts |
| Negative nexus opinion | 818 | 27.0% | 28.9% | −1.9 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied chronic bronchitis
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established29
- Pact act presumptive service connection4
- Diagnosis of chronic bronchitis3
- Caused by the service-connected disability3
- Evidence evenly balanced2
- Veteran served in southwest asia2
- Criteria for 10 percent rating met2
- Pact act presumption applied2
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis129
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim55
- Current diagnosis established34
- Service records negative or silent33
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service32
- Criteria for service connection not met19
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis16
- Evidence weighs against claim8
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 chronic bronchitis decisions
Granted
Aggravated by service; Presumptive under PACT Act; Benefit of the doubt applied
Allergic rhinitis found to be service-connected.; Positive nexus opinion from private medical professional.; No probative opinion to refute findings.
Private clinician found chronic bronchitis related to service and toxic exposures.; VA examiner found chronic bronchitis and chronic airway obstruction but no relationship to TERA.; Board found private opinion more persuasive due to detailed rationale and medical citations.
Denied
December 2024 VA respiratory examination noted symptoms; Pulmonary function test results did not meet criteria for compensable rating; Evidence persuasively weighs against compensable rating
No current diagnosis of bronchitis; Criteria for service connection not met
No current diagnosis of chronic bronchitis; Service treatment records silent for complaints/treatment/diagnoses; Post-service treatment records silent for chronic bronchitis; VA examiner found no objective medical evidence for chronic bronchitis; Examiner attributed respiratory complaints to various potential causes other than service
Rules that apply to chronic 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 chronic 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 chronic 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.