BVA decisions by condition
Costochondritis: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a costochondritis issue in 767 decisions. It granted the costochondritis issue in 18.3% of them, close to the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 32.9%, and remanded it in 47.8%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 35.7% were granted.
Decisions
767
2017–2026
Granted
18.3%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
35.7%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
47.8%
Denied: 32.9%
Costochondritis outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 58 | 12.1% | 37.9% | 46.6% | 3.4% |
| 2018 | 77 | 16.9% | 36.4% | 45.5% | 1.3% |
| 2019 | 97 | 18.6% | 23.7% | 53.6% | 4.1% |
| 2020 | 92 | 23.9% | 32.6% | 42.4% | 1.1% |
| 2021 | 76 | 18.4% | 30.3% | 50.0% | 1.3% |
| 2022 | 60 | 21.7% | 28.3% | 48.3% | 1.7% |
| 2023 | 92 | 14.1% | 28.3% | 56.5% | 1.1% |
| 2024 | 92 | 10.9% | 35.9% | 51.1% | 2.2% |
| 2025 | 94 | 20.2% | 41.5% | 36.2% | 2.1% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 costochondritis decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the costochondritis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorable VA exam | 95 | 68.1% | 28.8% | +39.3 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 104 | 65.6% | 29.9% | +35.7 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 58 | 47.8% | 35.0% | +12.9 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 225 | 44.4% | 31.7% | +12.6 pts |
| Lay statement | 609 | 35.2% | 38.7% | −3.6 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 67.1% of the decisions that granted costochondritis.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 33.6% of grants and 10.7% 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 costochondritis 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 | 362 | 33.7% | 38.0% | −4.4 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 554 | 33.2% | 46.6% | −13.3 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied costochondritis
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established19
- Criteria for service connection met4
- Criteria for 10 percent rating met3
- In-service diagnosis of costochondritis3
- Began during active service2
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service2
- Continuity of symptomatology since service2
- Caused by the service-connected disability2
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis42
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim22
- Current diagnosis established21
- Service records negative or silent11
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis11
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service10
- Criteria for service connection not met9
- No evidence of rib removal or resection5
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 costochondritis decisions
Granted
Current diagnosis of costochondritis; In-service events: TERAs, heavy armor, weights; Private opinion linking costochondritis to deployment activities; Evidence in relative equipoise, doubt resolved in veteran's favor
Evidence in approximate balance.; Veteran competent to relate observations of costochondritis.; Benefit of the doubt applied to grant claim.
Favorable findings on current disability and in-service injury (chest wall pain).; Conflicting medical opinions on nexus: two negative, one positive.; Positive opinion based on recurrent chest wall pain and service demands.; Veteran found credible regarding recurrent chest wall pain since 1999.; Evidence in equipoise regarding nexus to in-service chest pain.
Denied
No current diagnosis or symptoms causing functional impairment; Evidence persuasively against the claim; Benefit of doubt not applicable
Evidence does not support moderately severe or severe muscle disability; No objective loss of strength or function noted; No muscle atrophy, fascial defects, or ankylosis present
No rib removal or resection documented; Minimum compensable rating under DC 5297 is 10 percent; Private examiner concurred with existing 10 percent rating
Rules that apply to costochondritis 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 costochondritis 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 costochondritis 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.