BVA decisions by condition
Impairment of visual acuity: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a impairment of visual acuity issue in 921 decisions. It granted the impairment of visual acuity issue in 3.0% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 42.9%, and remanded it in 52.7%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 6.6% were granted.
Decisions
921
2017–2026
Granted
3.0%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
6.6%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
52.7%
Denied: 42.9%
Impairment of visual acuity outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 83 | 1.2% | 51.8% | 43.4% | 3.6% |
| 2018 | 148 | 3.4% | 50.0% | 44.6% | 2.0% |
| 2019 | 151 | 2.0% | 45.7% | 51.0% | 1.3% |
| 2020 | 97 | 4.1% | 43.3% | 50.5% | 2.1% |
| 2021 | 80 | 2.5% | 36.3% | 61.3% | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 85 | 1.2% | 30.6% | 65.9% | 2.4% |
| 2023 | 101 | 3.0% | 27.7% | 68.3% | 1.0% |
| 2024 | 85 | 1.2% | 44.7% | 50.6% | 3.5% |
| 2025 | 83 | 6.0% | 47.0% | 44.6% | 2.4% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 impairment of visual acuity decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the impairment of visual acuity 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 | 83 | 23.9% | 4.5% | +19.4 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 159 | 18.0% | 5.1% | +12.9 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 69 | 17.8% | 5.3% | +12.5 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 192 | 14.4% | 4.5% | +9.9 pts |
| Lay statement | 699 | 7.0% | 5.4% | +1.6 pts |
| Combat service | 47 | 4.8% | 6.7% | −2.0 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 53.6% of the decisions that granted impairment of visual acuity.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 32.1% of grants and 10.6% 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 impairment of visual acuity 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 | 367 | 6.6% | 6.6% | +0.0 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 532 | 5.8% | 8.3% | −2.5 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied impairment of visual acuity
Most common reasons in grants
- Caused by the service-connected disability3
- Current diagnosis established2
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis42
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim33
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis28
- Criteria for service connection not met25
- Service records negative or silent19
- Current diagnosis established19
- No superimposed disease or injury during service7
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service7
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 impairment of visual acuity decisions
Granted
AOJ favorable findings on current disability and secondary connection; VA examiner noted visual defect related to stroke; Board found criteria satisfied based on granted stroke claim
Granted secondary to service-connected sarcoidosis.; Inadequate initial VA opinion.; Adequate private opinion linked cataracts to sarcoidosis.
Reduction from 10 percent to noncompensable improper.; Documented visual field impairments (scotoma, reduced visual field) present.; No evidence of improvement in visual field defects.
Denied
No current diagnosis of visual impairment; No in-service event causing visual impairment; Evidence did not support claim
No current eye condition found.; Refractive error corrected to 20/20 with glasses.; Refractive errors are not considered diseases or injuries for service connection.
Cancelled necessary VA examination without good cause.; Veteran not competent to opine on etiology.; No evidence linking visual impairment to service.
Rules that apply to impairment of visual acuity 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 impairment of visual acuity 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 impairment of visual acuity 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.