BVA decisions by condition
Pancreatitis: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a pancreatitis issue in 583 decisions. It granted the pancreatitis issue in 14.2% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 29.2%, and remanded it in 54.9%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 32.8% were granted.
Decisions
583
2017–2026
Granted
14.2%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
32.8%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
54.9%
Denied: 29.2%
Pancreatitis outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 57 | 12.3% | 43.9% | 42.1% | 1.8% |
| 2019 | 60 | 11.7% | 36.7% | 48.3% | 3.3% |
| 2020 | 65 | 12.3% | 21.5% | 66.2% | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 65 | 7.7% | 27.7% | 61.5% | 3.1% |
| 2022 | 72 | 15.3% | 27.8% | 55.6% | 1.4% |
| 2023 | 63 | 15.9% | 23.8% | 60.3% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 66 | 12.1% | 28.8% | 54.5% | 4.5% |
| 2025 | 70 | 27.1% | 25.7% | 47.1% | 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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 pancreatitis decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the pancreatitis 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 | 110 | 69.1% | 19.5% | +49.7 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 45 | 69.2% | 28.6% | +40.6 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 230 | 49.4% | 24.4% | +25.0 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 76 | 51.1% | 28.8% | +22.3 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 196 | 44.2% | 23.6% | +20.7 pts |
| Lay statement | 464 | 28.0% | 62.9% | −34.9 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 80.7% of the decisions that granted pancreatitis.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 25.3% 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 pancreatitis 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 | 302 | 32.5% | 33.3% | −0.9 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 422 | 29.7% | 48.8% | −19.1 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied pancreatitis
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established17
- Caused by the service-connected disability8
- Service connection established5
- Presumed herbicide exposure due to vietnam service2
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service2
- Service records negative or silent2
- Resolving all doubt in veteran's favor2
Most common reasons in denials
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis31
- Service records negative or silent19
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service19
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim18
- No current diagnosis10
- Current diagnosis established4
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability2
- Evidence did not meet criteria for higher rating under DC 73472
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 pancreatitis decisions
Granted
Favorable Finding: Current diagnoses of acute pancreatitis and pancreas cyst; Favorable Finding: Related to presumed in-service chemical exposure (TCE); Benefit of the doubt resolved in Veteran's favor
Veteran's condition meets 100% criteria under former rating schedule; Resolving all doubt in Veteran's favor; Frequent recurrent disabling attacks of abdominal pain with few pain-free intermissions, diarrhea, malabsorption
Veteran's testimony regarding abdominal pain attacks found credible; Evidence supports at least one recurrent attack of severe abdominal pain; Evidence does not support four to seven moderately severe attacks annually
Denied
No presumptive link to Camp Lejeune exposure under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(f); No probative indication of association with service; Generalized lay allegations insufficient
Veteran's symptoms do not meet criteria for higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7319 (pre- or post-amendment).; Veteran's symptoms do not meet criteria for higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7347 (pre- or post-amendment).; Evidence persuasively weighs against a rating in excess of 30 percent.
Veteran's pancreatitis did not meet criteria for compensable rating under former or amended criteria.; Abdominal pain not confirmed by appropriate laboratory and clinical studies.; No evidence of ongoing outpatient medical treatment or hospitalization for pancreatitis.
Rules that apply to pancreatitis 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 pancreatitis 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 pancreatitis 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.