BVA decisions by condition
Pseudofolliculitis barbae: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a pseudofolliculitis barbae issue in 548 decisions. It granted the pseudofolliculitis barbae issue in 8.8% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 35.6%, and remanded it in 51.8%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 19.8% were granted.
Decisions
548
2017–2026
Granted
8.8%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
19.8%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
51.8%
Denied: 35.6%
Pseudofolliculitis barbae outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 71 | 5.6% | 25.4% | 64.8% | 4.2% |
| 2020 | 80 | 5.0% | 32.5% | 60.0% | 2.5% |
| 2022 | 51 | 19.6% | 25.5% | 51.0% | 3.9% |
| 2023 | 52 | 9.6% | 36.5% | 51.9% | 1.9% |
| 2024 | 81 | 11.1% | 35.8% | 49.4% | 3.7% |
| 2025 | 92 | 13.0% | 58.7% | 25.0% | 3.3% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 pseudofolliculitis barbae decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the pseudofolliculitis barbae 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 | 89 | 44.4% | 16.7% | +27.8 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 73 | 34.3% | 17.3% | +17.0 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 155 | 25.8% | 17.5% | +8.2 pts |
| Lay statement | 455 | 20.2% | 17.1% | +3.0 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 62.5% of the decisions that granted pseudofolliculitis barbae.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 50.0% of grants and 27.2% 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 pseudofolliculitis barbae 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 | 240 | 22.0% | 17.9% | +4.1 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 436 | 20.0% | 17.9% | +2.1 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied pseudofolliculitis barbae
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established5
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis12
- No systemic therapy required9
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim7
- Did not meet criteria for compensable rating6
- Condition affects less than 5% of body/exposed areas5
- Does not meet criteria for higher rating4
- Did not require systemic therapy4
- Criteria for compensable rating not met4
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 pseudofolliculitis barbae decisions
Granted
Board found Doxycycline to be systemic and analogous to corticosteroids/immunosuppressive drugs.; Treatment with Doxycycline exceeded six weeks but was not constant.; No scarring or disfigurement noted.
Met criteria for 10% rating under General Rating Formula for Skin; Lesions affected less than 5% of body; Required oral and topical therapy for less than 6 weeks
PFB symptoms approximated criteria for 10% rating under DC 7804; Resolving doubt in veteran's favor; Higher rating not warranted due to limited number of scars/area affected
Denied
VA examination confirmed diagnosis but found minimal skin involvement.; No systemic therapy used in the past 12 months.; Symptoms did not meet criteria for higher rating or disfigurement.
Evidence did not meet criteria for increased rating; No characteristic lesions involving 20-40% of body or exposed areas; No systemic therapy required for 6+ weeks
Condition affects less than 5% of body/exposed areas; Did not require systemic therapy; Does not meet criteria for compensable rating
Rules that apply to pseudofolliculitis barbae 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 pseudofolliculitis barbae 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 pseudofolliculitis barbae 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.