BVA decisions by condition
Leukemia: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a leukemia issue in 1,687 decisions. It granted the leukemia issue in 32.7% of them, above the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 22.1%, and remanded it in 43.2%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 59.6% were granted.
Decisions
1,687
2017–2026
Granted
32.7%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
59.6%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
43.2%
Denied: 22.1%
Leukemia outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 81 | 25.9% | 28.4% | 38.3% | 7.4% |
| 2018 | 139 | 23.0% | 36.0% | 36.7% | 4.3% |
| 2019 | 177 | 28.8% | 18.1% | 50.3% | 2.8% |
| 2020 | 209 | 28.7% | 30.6% | 38.3% | 2.4% |
| 2021 | 183 | 28.4% | 24.6% | 45.4% | 1.6% |
| 2022 | 245 | 31.0% | 18.0% | 49.8% | 1.2% |
| 2023 | 205 | 30.7% | 19.5% | 47.3% | 2.4% |
| 2024 | 210 | 35.2% | 21.0% | 43.3% | 0.5% |
| 2025 | 180 | 45.6% | 13.9% | 37.8% | 2.8% |
| 2026 | 90 | 52.2% | 13.3% | 32.2% | 2.2% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 leukemia decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the leukemia 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 | 423 | 92.2% | 42.3% | +49.9 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 777 | 70.3% | 46.1% | +24.3 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 150 | 80.7% | 56.8% | +23.9 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 195 | 76.1% | 56.7% | +19.3 pts |
| Combat service | 77 | 72.3% | 59.0% | +13.4 pts |
| Buddy statement | 88 | 70.7% | 58.9% | +11.8 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 267 | 52.5% | 60.5% | −8.0 pts |
| Lay statement | 1,150 | 52.0% | 78.9% | −26.9 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 71.1% of the decisions that granted leukemia.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 33.2% of grants and 7.2% 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 leukemia 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 | 693 | 50.8% | 67.5% | −16.7 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 904 | 50.0% | 73.8% | −23.8 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied leukemia
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established95
- Veteran diagnosed with cll7
- Presumed herbicide exposure due to vietnam service7
- Presumed exposure to herbicide agents due to vietnam service6
- Veteran diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia5
- Presumed herbicide exposure in vietnam4
- Presumptive service connection under 38 c.f.r. § 3.309(e)4
- Conceded in-service herbicide exposure4
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim48
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis45
- Service records negative or silent34
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service27
- No continuity of symptomatology22
- Current diagnosis established14
- No current diagnosis13
- Continuity of symptomatology since service12
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 leukemia decisions
Granted
38 U.S.C. §§ 1110, 5107; 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.102, 3.303; MOS as Dental Hygienist at Dugway Proving Ground; Likely exposure to chemicals including mercury, PRA, BisGMA, BHT, HMBP, DPCL, TPSb, HERAM, TEGOMA; Veteran reported potential exposure to Agent Orange at Dugway; Medical literature links exposures to lymphocytic leukemia; Benefit-of-the-doubt doctrine applied
Current disability established by September 2025 diagnosis.; In-service exposure presumed due to Vietnam service.; Probative private medical opinion linked AML to herbicide exposure.; Inadequate VA medical opinion did not outweigh private opinion.
CML active and undergoing treatment from June 4, 2014, to September 27, 2018; Warranted 100 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 7703 for active disease/treatment phase; Molecular remission not achieved until September 27, 2018, per private treatment records
Denied
CLL in remission since June 14, 2023; Treatment completed June 2022; No evidence of active disease or recurrent lymphoma
No in-service onset or continuity of symptoms; VA opinions found less likely than not related to TERA; Age and race identified as greater risk factors than TERA
No competent evidence of in-service incurrence.; No evidence of toxic exposure or contaminated water.; No persuasive medical or lay evidence linking condition to service.
Rules that apply to leukemia 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 leukemia 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 leukemia 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.