BVA decisions by condition
Chronic sinusitis: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a chronic sinusitis issue in 8,135 decisions. It granted the chronic sinusitis issue in 18.3% of them, close to the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 29.7%, and remanded it in 50.2%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 38.1% were granted.
Decisions
8,135
2017–2026
Granted
18.3%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
38.1%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
50.2%
Denied: 29.7%
Chronic sinusitis outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 468 | 8.5% | 31.6% | 52.8% | 7.1% |
| 2018 | 859 | 12.1% | 30.6% | 54.0% | 3.3% |
| 2019 | 846 | 11.2% | 30.6% | 54.8% | 3.3% |
| 2020 | 737 | 12.2% | 30.1% | 56.4% | 1.2% |
| 2021 | 708 | 12.9% | 26.3% | 58.3% | 2.5% |
| 2022 | 700 | 16.4% | 23.1% | 57.7% | 2.7% |
| 2023 | 825 | 24.4% | 22.3% | 50.8% | 2.5% |
| 2024 | 1,077 | 23.7% | 26.5% | 48.1% | 1.8% |
| 2025 | 1,553 | 24.4% | 35.5% | 37.5% | 2.5% |
| 2026 | 500 | 24.4% | 36.8% | 37.4% | 1.4% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 sinusitis decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the chronic sinusitis 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 | 1,272 | 67.0% | 29.7% | +37.3 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 349 | 65.9% | 36.5% | +29.4 pts |
| Buddy statement | 223 | 60.9% | 37.4% | +23.5 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 925 | 57.7% | 34.2% | +23.4 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 2,496 | 50.9% | 30.5% | +20.3 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 567 | 53.3% | 37.4% | +15.9 pts |
| Combat service | 440 | 48.0% | 37.4% | +10.6 pts |
| Lay statement | 6,462 | 37.6% | 40.4% | −2.8 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 65.0% of the decisions that granted chronic sinusitis.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 37.8% of grants and 14.9% 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 sinusitis 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 | 4,079 | 37.4% | 38.9% | −1.5 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 5,953 | 37.1% | 41.8% | −4.6 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied chronic sinusitis
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established256
- Criteria for service connection met45
- Pact act presumptive service connection31
- Presumptive service connection under 38 c.f.r. § 3.32026
- More than six non-incapacitating episodes per year17
- Continuity of symptomatology since service17
- Service in southwest asia theater of operations15
- Pact act presumptive service connection for sinusitis14
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis474
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim211
- Service records negative or silent159
- Current diagnosis established154
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service135
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis118
- Criteria for service connection not met78
- No incapacitating episodes requiring prolonged antibiotic treatment34
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 sinusitis decisions
Granted
Lay and medical testimony found competent and credible; PACT Act presumption applied due to Southwest Asia service and burn pit exposure; VA opinion inadequate for relying on absence of treatment records
Current diagnosis of chronic sinusitis; In-service treatment for upper respiratory infection; Related to in-service exposure to airborne pollutants; Private nurse practitioner opinion linking condition to exposures
Weight of evidence favors service connection; Veteran's testimony regarding symptom onset post-deployment is credible; Absence of service treatment records does not preclude service connection; Post-service medical evidence more probative than VA examiner's opinion
Denied
No evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation; No nexus to service established
No competent evidence of current diagnosis.; Contradictory evidence regarding diagnosis (CT scan negative).; Evidence persuasively weighs against service connection.
No objective medical evidence of current sinusitis.; VA examinations found no diagnosis of sinusitis.; Post-service records also lacked diagnosis or persistent symptoms.
Rules that apply to chronic sinusitis 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 sinusitis 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 sinusitis 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.