BVA decisions by condition
Liver cirrhosis: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a liver cirrhosis issue in 1,617 decisions. It granted the liver cirrhosis issue in 13.5% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 35.5%, and remanded it in 49.2%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 27.5% were granted.
Decisions
1,617
2017–2026
Granted
13.5%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
27.5%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
49.2%
Denied: 35.5%
Liver cirrhosis outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 140 | 11.4% | 40.7% | 40.7% | 7.1% |
| 2018 | 265 | 15.8% | 41.9% | 38.1% | 4.2% |
| 2019 | 226 | 8.4% | 35.8% | 54.0% | 1.8% |
| 2020 | 146 | 13.0% | 39.7% | 45.9% | 1.4% |
| 2021 | 130 | 16.9% | 38.5% | 43.8% | 0.8% |
| 2022 | 163 | 12.9% | 27.6% | 57.1% | 2.5% |
| 2023 | 158 | 10.8% | 32.9% | 55.1% | 1.3% |
| 2024 | 160 | 10.6% | 28.1% | 58.8% | 2.5% |
| 2025 | 188 | 18.1% | 30.9% | 50.0% | 1.1% |
| 2026 | 65 | 16.9% | 27.7% | 55.4% | 0.0% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 liver cirrhosis decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the liver cirrhosis 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 | 266 | 64.9% | 15.9% | +49.0 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 202 | 58.0% | 20.4% | +37.6 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 94 | 57.9% | 25.2% | +32.7 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 611 | 45.0% | 18.9% | +26.2 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 485 | 38.7% | 21.2% | +17.5 pts |
| Combat service | 104 | 19.3% | 28.2% | −8.9 pts |
| Lay statement | 1,181 | 23.3% | 43.8% | −20.5 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 71.1% of the decisions that granted liver cirrhosis.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 17.0% of grants and 9.6% 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 liver cirrhosis 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 | 828 | 22.0% | 35.2% | −13.3 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 1,116 | 23.6% | 40.0% | −16.4 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied liver cirrhosis
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established30
- Caused by the service-connected disability29
- Service connection established16
- Criteria for service connection met4
- New and material evidence received to reopen claim3
- New and material evidence received2
- Secondary to hepatitis c2
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability2
Most common reasons in denials
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis65
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim64
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service57
- No current diagnosis56
- Service records negative or silent54
- Current diagnosis established25
- No continuity of symptomatology7
- No current liver disability found7
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 liver cirrhosis decisions
Granted
Service-connected PTSD led to weight gain.; Weight gain is a risk factor for NAFLD.; Obesity served as an intermediate step between PTSD and NAFLD.
Evidence is in equipoise regarding service connection.; In-service toxic exposures contributed to cirrhosis development.; Private physician opinion linked exposures to accelerated disease.
Current disability established by VA treatment report (ultrasound); Service-connected PTSD with alcohol use disorder acknowledged; Independent medical opinion linked liver disease to psychiatric disability and alcohol use
Denied
No competent positive nexus opinion; VA examiner opined less likely than not caused by asbestos/lead exposure; Medical literature does not support link
No competent evidence of current liver disability; Service treatment records silent for liver issues; Conflicting VA examinations regarding diagnosis and service connection
Splenomegaly pre-existed service; No evidence of in-service increase; Weight of evidence against claim
Rules that apply to liver cirrhosis 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 liver cirrhosis 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 liver cirrhosis 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.