BVA decisions by condition
Fibromyalgia: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a fibromyalgia issue in 4,196 decisions. It granted the fibromyalgia issue in 16.3% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 29.1%, and remanded it in 52.8%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 35.8% were granted.
Decisions
4,196
2017–2026
Granted
16.3%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
35.8%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
52.8%
Denied: 29.1%
Fibromyalgia outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 253 | 11.5% | 31.6% | 49.0% | 7.9% |
| 2018 | 452 | 16.4% | 29.0% | 51.1% | 3.5% |
| 2019 | 476 | 17.4% | 27.9% | 52.3% | 2.3% |
| 2020 | 497 | 14.3% | 31.2% | 52.1% | 2.4% |
| 2021 | 449 | 18.7% | 27.4% | 51.9% | 2.0% |
| 2022 | 453 | 15.7% | 26.3% | 56.7% | 1.3% |
| 2023 | 526 | 16.3% | 23.8% | 58.2% | 1.7% |
| 2024 | 526 | 17.3% | 24.1% | 56.7% | 1.9% |
| 2025 | 453 | 14.8% | 37.7% | 46.4% | 1.1% |
| 2026 | 199 | 21.1% | 38.2% | 38.7% | 2.0% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 fibromyalgia decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the fibromyalgia 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 | 768 | 59.0% | 29.0% | +30.0 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 322 | 61.8% | 32.9% | +28.8 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 671 | 54.6% | 30.5% | +24.1 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 675 | 52.8% | 33.9% | +18.9 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 1,440 | 44.7% | 30.1% | +14.6 pts |
| Combat service | 259 | 43.2% | 35.3% | +7.9 pts |
| Buddy statement | 131 | 36.5% | 35.8% | +0.7 pts |
| Lay statement | 3,460 | 35.4% | 38.7% | −3.3 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 70.3% of the decisions that granted fibromyalgia.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 28.7% of grants and 14.0% 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 fibromyalgia 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 | 3,140 | 34.3% | 42.8% | −8.5 pts |
| Negative nexus opinion | 2,189 | 31.5% | 41.6% | −10.2 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied fibromyalgia
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established82
- Fibromyalgia is a qualifying chronic disability under 38 c.f.r. § 3.31728
- Veteran served in southwest asia during persian gulf war26
- Already at the maximum schedular rating18
- Veteran is a persian gulf veteran15
- Caused by the service-connected disability15
- Presumptive service connection under 38 c.f.r. § 3.31714
- Criteria for service connection met12
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis235
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim94
- Already at the maximum schedular rating89
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service72
- Current diagnosis established69
- Service records negative or silent66
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis57
- Criteria for service connection not met43
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 fibromyalgia decisions
Granted
Persian Gulf Veteran status verified by DoD data.; Fibromyalgia diagnosed in Oct 2020 VA exam.; Fibromyalgia considered qualifying chronic disability under 38 C.F.R. § 3.317.
Private physician diagnosed fibromyalgia and linked it to Veteran's symptoms.; VA examinations were inadequate as they failed to attribute all symptoms and relied on inaccurate factual bases.; Evidence was in approximate balance, warranting benefit of the doubt.; Veteran served in Southwest Asia theater of operations, and fibromyalgia is a presumptive condition for such service.
Veteran's lay statements indicated constant symptoms refractory to therapy.; VA exam noted constant symptoms but rated them episodic, with low probative value.; Benefit of the doubt applied due to approximate balance of evidence.
Denied
Service treatment records and VA examinations negative for fibromyalgia.; Private opinion lacked specific symptoms and probative value.; Evidence weighed against a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
Lack of current fibromyalgia diagnosis.; Conflicting medical opinions regarding diagnosis and etiology.; Evidence suggests other causes for pain (tendonitis, muscular injury, somatization).; Lay statements not competent to opine on diagnosis adequacy.
Veteran already receiving maximum 40% rating under DC 5025.; VA examination did not support exceptional disability picture.; No legal basis for higher schedular rating.
Rules that apply to fibromyalgia 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 fibromyalgia 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 fibromyalgia 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.