BVA decisions by condition
Diabetes mellitus: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a diabetes issue in 30,088 decisions. It granted the diabetes issue in 20.2% of them, close to the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 38.0%, and remanded it in 40.4%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 34.8% were granted.
From Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions: appeals, not VA's first decisions. Issue-level outcomes.
Decisions
30,088
2017–2026
Granted
20.2%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
34.8%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
40.4%
Denied: 38.0%
At a glance
Evidence in granted and denied diabetes decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the diabetes 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buddy statement | 1,197 | 64.1% | 33.3% | +30.8 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 4,046 | 58.4% | 30.1% | +28.4 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 3,050 | 50.9% | 32.4% | +18.5 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 6,319 | 46.4% | 32.7% | +13.6 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 1,628 | 46.9% | 33.9% | +13.0 pts |
| Combat service | 1,633 | 43.3% | 34.2% | +9.1 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 8,400 | 39.9% | 32.3% | +7.6 pts |
| Lay statement | 23,169 | 33.8% | 38.9% | −5.1 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 72.2% of the decisions that granted diabetes.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 43.1% 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 diabetes 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 | 11,510 | 25.6% | 41.0% | −15.4 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 17,709 | 25.0% | 53.3% | −28.3 pts |
Recent diabetes decisions
Granted
Secondary to service-connected chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, hypothyroidism, and/or hypogonadism; 38 C.F.R. § 3.310 criteria met
Private opinion found PTSD contributed to metabolic dysfunction.; Conflicting opinions between VA and private examiners.; Benefit of the doubt resolved in Veteran's favor.
Service-connected disabilities aggravated obesity; Obesity was substantial factor in causing diabetes; Diabetes would not have occurred but for obesity
Denied
No established in-service event (herbicide exposure); Service treatment records negative for diabetes; No VA examination required due to lack of in-service event
No evidence of herbicide exposure in Taiwan.; No evidence of radiation exposure.; Condition did not onset during service or within one year of separation.; No continuity of symptoms from service to diagnosis.
No in-service complaints or diagnosis in STRs; DMII not presumptive for Camp Lejeune TERA; June 2025 VA opinion found DMII less likely than not caused by TERA; Morbid obesity assessed as likely cause of DMII
Diabetes mellitus claimed as a secondary condition
Decisions where diabetes was claimed as secondary to another service-connected disability (38 CFR 3.310), by that disability.
Conditions claimed secondary to diabetes
Other conditions veterans claimed as caused or aggravated by diabetes, with how often the Board granted them.
- Peripheral nerve disorders secondary to diabetes3,602 decisions · 33.6% granted
- Hypertension secondary to diabetes2,809 decisions · 15.2% granted
- Erectile dysfunction secondary to diabetes1,811 decisions · 25.8% granted
- Sleep apnea secondary to diabetes994 decisions · 23.0% granted
- Kidney disease secondary to diabetes906 decisions · 26.5% granted
- Glaucoma secondary to diabetes482 decisions · 10.6% granted
- Retinal dystrophy (including retinitis pigmentosa macular degeneration) secondary to diabetes416 decisions · 37.0% granted
- Cataract extraction secondary to diabetes372 decisions · 22.6% granted
- Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (buerger's disease) secondary to diabetes335 decisions · 37.3% granted
Diabetes mellitus outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2,022 | 12.1% | 50.4% | 32.8% | 4.7% |
| 2018 | 3,597 | 15.2% | 45.5% | 35.6% | 3.8% |
| 2019 | 3,906 | 18.3% | 38.6% | 40.9% | 2.2% |
| 2020 | 3,844 | 19.0% | 37.7% | 41.6% | 1.6% |
| 2021 | 3,185 | 19.1% | 37.6% | 41.7% | 1.6% |
| 2022 | 3,431 | 23.7% | 32.4% | 41.8% | 2.2% |
| 2023 | 3,565 | 22.2% | 33.3% | 42.6% | 1.9% |
| 2024 | 3,082 | 24.6% | 32.5% | 41.8% | 1.2% |
| 2025 | 2,883 | 21.3% | 37.2% | 39.8% | 1.7% |
| 2026 | 1,097 | 26.5% | 35.6% | 36.6% | 1.3% |
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.
Why the Board granted or denied diabetes
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established1,028
- Veteran served in thailand during vietnam era206
- Caused by the service-connected disability128
- Service connection established113
- Presumed exposure to herbicide agents96
- Presumption of herbicide exposure applies59
- New and material evidence received to reopen claim53
- Veteran served in vietnam51
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim1,186
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis1,183
- Service records negative or silent806
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service559
- No current diagnosis516
- No continuity of symptomatology478
- Current diagnosis established337
- Continuity of symptomatology since service188
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.
How the Board rates diabetes
The Board decided 9,782 diabetes rating issues from 2017 to 2026: it granted a higher rating in 10%, denied one in 53% and sent 35% back for a new exam or more records.
By diagnostic code
The codes the Board rated diabetes under, most used first. “Granted on the merits” leaves out remands. The last column is the percent the Board assigned most often when it granted a higher rating.
| Code | Issues | Granted on the merits | Remanded | Most common rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7913Diabetes mellitus | 2,267 | 11.2% | 4.2% | 40% (74% of grants) |
7,363 issues named no diagnostic code, most of them remands.
Ratings the Board assigned
Share of each percent among the 338 grants that stated one.
- 10%5.6%
- 20%16.9%
- 30%1.5%
- 40%67.8%
- 50%0.3%
- 60%6.8%
- 100%1.2%
Why the Board granted a higher rating
- benefit of the doubt / evidence in equipoise315
- criteria for the rating met or more nearly approximated100
- criteria for a higher rating not met54
- veteran served in thailand during vietnam era10
- veteran requires insulin, restricted diet, and regulation of activities10
Why the Board denied one
- criteria for a higher rating not met1,220
- no regulation of activities required111
- preponderance of evidence against higher rating86
- did not require regulation of activities70
- benefit of the doubt / evidence in equipoise67
- criteria for the rating met or more nearly approximated66
Evidence in rating grants and denials
How often the Board granted a higher diabetes rating on the merits when the decision mentioned each kind of evidence, against decisions that did not. Associations, not causes.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treating physician opinion | 779 | 28.5% | 14.1% | +14.4 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 1,265 | 25.1% | 13.7% | +11.4 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 2,962 | 20.8% | 12.7% | +8.1 pts |
| Lay statement | 7,089 | 15.9% | 14.2% | +1.7 pts |
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unfavorable VA exam | 7,204 | 14.5% | 21.1% | −6.6 pts |
The Board applied the benefit of the doubt (38 CFR 3.102) in 65.0% of the decisions that granted a higher rating.
Recent rating decisions
Higher rating granted
Dr. P. opinion found persuasive; Positive nexus established; Benefit of the doubt applied
Granted 40% rating; DM requires insulin and diet regulation; Did not meet criteria for higher rating
Private medical opinion from Dr. R.P. found Type I diabetes related to in-service toxic exposures (ionizing radiation, PCBs, PFAS, PBBs, dioxin-like compounds).; Dr. R.P. opined it was at least as likely as not that exposures initiated/accelerated autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells.; Evidence found to be in equipoise; doubt resolved in veteran's favor per 38 U.S.C. § 5107(b).
Denied
Criteria for rating in excess of 20% not met; Required oral hypoglycemic agents and insulin; No regulation of activities as part of management
No evidence of daily insulin injections.; VA treatment records showed no insulin prescription for years.; Daily insulin injections are required for the 40% rating.
Insufficient evidence of hospitalizations for ketoacidosis/hypoglycemia; Conflicting examiner findings on hospitalizations; Veteran's subjective reports not sufficient for higher rating
How VA rates diabetes
Once service connection is granted, VA assigns a disability rating from the rating schedule, 38 CFR 4.119, diagnostic code 7913 (Diabetes mellitus). The rating is the same whether the condition is service connected directly or as secondary to another disability.
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 100% | Requiring more than one daily injection of insulin, restricted diet, and regulation of activities (avoidance of strenuous occupational and recreational activities) with episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic reactions requiring at least three hospitalizations per year or weekly visits to a diabetic care provider, plus either progressive loss of weight and strength or complications that would be compensable if separately evaluated |
| 60% | Requiring one or more daily injection of insulin, restricted diet, and regulation of activities with episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic reactions requiring one or two hospitalizations per year or twice a month visits to a diabetic care provider, plus complications that would not be compensable if separately evaluated |
| 40% | Requiring one or more daily injection of insulin, restricted diet, and regulation of activities |
| 20% | Requiring one or more daily injection of insulin and restricted diet, or; oral hypoglycemic agent and restricted diet |
| 10% | Manageable by restricted diet only |
- Note (1): Evaluate compensable complications of diabetes separately unless they are part of the criteria used to support a 100-percent evaluation. Noncompensable complications are considered part of the diabetic process under DC 7913.
- Note (2): When diabetes mellitus has been conclusively diagnosed, do not request a glucose tolerance test solely for rating purposes.
Text of 38 CFR 4.119 as of Feb 27, 2026. Confirm the current text at the source before relying on it.
Rules that apply to diabetes claims
- 38 CFR 4.119 · DC 7913
Schedule of ratings: endocrine system
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.309(e)
Presumptive service connection (herbicide exposure)
Read it in VA Law Explorer - M21-1 V.iii.11.1
Diabetes: evaluation, scope of the claim, effective dates
Read it in VA Law Explorer - M21-1 V.iii.11.2
Complications of diabetes and when to rate them separately
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 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 diabetes 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 diabetes 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.
Where this data comes from
- Claim
- Regional office decides
- Veteran appeals
- Board decides
- Granted · Denied · Remanded: back to the regional office
Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions show how VA's highest review body applies 38 CFR and weighs evidence on contested claims.
Each one is an appeal: a regional office decided the claim first, and the veteran appealed. So these rates describe the Board, not a veteran's odds at the regional office, where most claims are decided and whose decisions are not public.
More on what Board decisions can and cannot tell you