BVA decisions by condition
Glaucoma: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a glaucoma issue in 3,296 decisions. It granted the glaucoma issue in 10.8% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 33.4%, and remanded it in 54.7%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 24.5% were granted.
Decisions
3,296
2017–2026
Granted
10.8%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
24.5%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
54.7%
Denied: 33.4%
Glaucoma outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 238 | 8.4% | 37.4% | 50.8% | 3.4% |
| 2018 | 323 | 8.7% | 39.3% | 48.0% | 4.0% |
| 2019 | 404 | 8.9% | 35.9% | 53.5% | 1.7% |
| 2020 | 455 | 6.8% | 34.7% | 56.5% | 2.0% |
| 2021 | 406 | 10.1% | 36.9% | 51.5% | 1.5% |
| 2022 | 402 | 10.9% | 28.6% | 59.2% | 1.2% |
| 2023 | 418 | 13.4% | 25.6% | 58.9% | 2.2% |
| 2024 | 317 | 7.6% | 33.8% | 57.4% | 1.3% |
| 2025 | 317 | 18.6% | 28.4% | 51.7% | 1.3% |
| 2026 | 143 | 18.9% | 30.8% | 49.0% | 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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 glaucoma decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the glaucoma 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 | 427 | 58.7% | 16.2% | +42.5 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 361 | 51.2% | 18.9% | +32.3 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 124 | 48.5% | 23.3% | +25.3 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 927 | 34.2% | 19.4% | +14.8 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 943 | 28.2% | 23.3% | +4.8 pts |
| Combat service | 199 | 23.3% | 24.5% | −1.2 pts |
| Lay statement | 2,422 | 21.2% | 38.3% | −17.1 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 70.8% of the decisions that granted glaucoma.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 27.2% of grants and 8.6% 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 glaucoma 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 | 1,803 | 21.0% | 29.9% | −8.9 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 2,337 | 22.2% | 33.1% | −10.9 pts |
Glaucoma claimed as a secondary condition
Decisions where glaucoma was claimed as secondary to another service-connected disability (38 CFR 3.310), by that disability.
Why the Board granted or denied glaucoma
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established52
- Caused by the service-connected disability12
- Service connection established8
- Service connection granted4
- Service records negative or silent3
- Criteria for entitlement met3
Most common reasons in denials
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis152
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim145
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service133
- Service records negative or silent68
- No current diagnosis40
- Current diagnosis established40
- Criteria for service connection not met17
- Evidence persuasively weighs against service connection15
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 glaucoma decisions
Granted
Aggravated by service-connected PTSD; Favored August 2024 VA opinion linking stress to eye conditions; Overruled negative VA opinions that relied on age and general risk factors
Evidence approximated criteria for 20 percent rating; Benefit of doubt applied due to balanced evidence; Veteran's statements found competent and credible
Evidence in equipoise; Benefit of the doubt applied; In-service refractive error and subsequent glaucoma diagnosis; Potential exacerbation from service-connected psychiatric disorder and orthopedic conditions
Denied
STRs do not document ongoing glaucoma or residuals from in-service left eye injury.; VA ophthalmologists opined less likely than not related to service.; Private orthopedic surgeon's opinion deemed speculative and lacking expertise in ocular diseases.
No nexus to service; No continuity of symptomatology; In-service event transient and resolved
No nexus to service established; VA examiner opinion against service connection found competent and credible; Veteran's lay statements outweighed by VA opinion
Rules that apply to glaucoma 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 glaucoma 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 glaucoma 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.