BVA decisions by condition
Hiatus hernia: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a hiatus hernia issue in 706 decisions. It granted the hiatus hernia issue in 31.7% of them, above the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 31.4%, and remanded it in 35.4%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 50.2% were granted.
Decisions
706
2017–2026
Granted
31.7%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
50.2%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
35.4%
Denied: 31.4%
Hiatus hernia outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 60 | 21.7% | 46.7% | 25.0% | 6.7% |
| 2019 | 56 | 17.9% | 35.7% | 42.9% | 3.6% |
| 2020 | 92 | 23.9% | 30.4% | 44.6% | 1.1% |
| 2021 | 91 | 26.4% | 30.8% | 39.6% | 3.3% |
| 2022 | 91 | 34.1% | 29.7% | 29.7% | 6.6% |
| 2023 | 81 | 22.2% | 25.9% | 44.4% | 7.4% |
| 2024 | 94 | 42.6% | 27.7% | 26.6% | 3.2% |
| 2025 | 97 | 45.4% | 30.9% | 21.6% | 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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 hiatus hernia decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the hiatus hernia 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 | 86 | 71.1% | 45.9% | +25.1 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 81 | 66.2% | 47.5% | +18.6 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 220 | 60.3% | 44.8% | +15.4 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 41 | 63.6% | 49.5% | +14.1 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 105 | 52.3% | 50.0% | +2.3 pts |
| Lay statement | 572 | 50.0% | 51.5% | −1.5 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 65.2% of the decisions that granted hiatus hernia.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 36.2% 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 hiatus hernia 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 | 525 | 51.0% | 46.8% | +4.1 pts |
| Negative nexus opinion | 304 | 45.6% | 53.8% | −8.2 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied hiatus hernia
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established12
- Considerable impairment of health10
- Service connection established7
- Considerable impairment of health noted4
- Caused by the service-connected disability4
- Symptoms met criteria for 30% rating4
- Symptoms meet criteria for 30% rating3
- Symptoms productive of severe impairment of health3
Most common reasons in denials
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis15
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service14
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim13
- Symptoms did not meet criteria for higher rating9
- Already at the maximum schedular rating7
- Service records negative or silent6
- Current diagnosis established5
- Symptoms did not meet criteria for 30% rating4
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 hiatus hernia decisions
Granted
Symptoms of pyrosis, reflux, regurgitation, substernal pain, sleep disturbance, nausea, and vomiting documented.; Persistent and frequent symptoms considered to cause considerable impairment of health.; Benefit of the doubt resolved in favor of Veteran for 30% rating.
Current diagnoses of hiatal hernia, GERD, stricture of esophagus, gastritis, and eosinophilic esophagitis established.; Veteran's lay testimony regarding onset of symptoms in 1986 at Camp Lejeune found credible and competent.; Continuity of symptoms since service established, linking to current esophageal disability.; Benefit of the doubt afforded due to lack of adequate medical opinions and persuasive lay evidence.
Favorable finding by RO on current diagnosis; Service treatment records noted food poisoning and hernia; Persuasive private medical opinion linking symptoms to service
Denied
No in-service complaints, treatment, or diagnosis for hiatal hernia.; Service treatment records and retirement examination documented no issues related to hiatal hernia.; Post-service treatment records did not specifically indicate hiatal hernia began in service or is due to service.
Headaches are a symptom of service-connected sinusitis.; Separate rating for headaches would constitute pyramiding.; Headaches contemplated in DC 6511 for sinusitis.
Criteria for increased rating not met; No severe impairment shown
Rules that apply to hiatus hernia 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 hiatus hernia 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 hiatus hernia 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.