BVA decisions by condition
Psoriasis: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a psoriasis issue in 1,246 decisions. It granted the psoriasis issue in 17.7% of them, close to the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 27.8%, and remanded it in 52.9%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 38.9% were granted.
Decisions
1,246
2017–2026
Granted
17.7%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
38.9%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
52.9%
Denied: 27.8%
Psoriasis outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 88 | 17.0% | 20.5% | 48.9% | 13.6% |
| 2018 | 161 | 12.4% | 32.9% | 49.7% | 5.0% |
| 2019 | 141 | 13.5% | 30.5% | 53.2% | 2.8% |
| 2020 | 153 | 11.8% | 30.1% | 56.9% | 1.3% |
| 2021 | 153 | 14.4% | 28.8% | 55.6% | 1.3% |
| 2022 | 109 | 24.8% | 22.0% | 50.5% | 2.8% |
| 2023 | 143 | 19.6% | 21.0% | 58.7% | 0.7% |
| 2024 | 161 | 19.3% | 29.2% | 49.1% | 2.5% |
| 2025 | 135 | 21.5% | 28.9% | 48.1% | 1.5% |
| 2026 | 60 | 26.7% | 26.7% | 41.7% | 5.0% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 psoriasis decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the psoriasis 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 | 177 | 70.6% | 32.0% | +38.6 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 157 | 63.5% | 33.4% | +30.1 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 84 | 61.3% | 36.2% | +25.1 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 372 | 51.2% | 31.7% | +19.5 pts |
| Combat service | 84 | 45.9% | 38.4% | +7.5 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 171 | 45.1% | 38.3% | +6.8 pts |
| Lay statement | 1,004 | 38.8% | 39.3% | −0.4 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 69.7% of the decisions that granted psoriasis.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 43.4% of grants and 15.0% 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 psoriasis 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 | 599 | 34.7% | 43.7% | −9.0 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 899 | 36.8% | 51.9% | −15.1 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied psoriasis
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established30
- Service connection established4
- Criteria for service connection met3
- Caused by the service-connected disability3
- Credible assertions of intermittent symptoms since service3
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service2
- Veteran's testimony found credible2
- Meets criteria for 60% rating under DC 78162
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim39
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service33
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis29
- Already at the maximum schedular rating24
- Service records negative or silent19
- No current diagnosis18
- Current diagnosis established9
- Psoriasis is not a presumptive condition for herbicide exposure5
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 psoriasis decisions
Granted
Psoriasis affects >40% of body area.; Constant treatment with topical steroids and biologics.; Reasonable doubt resolved in veteran's favor.
In-service rash and exposure to jet fuel; Private doctor's opinion found competent and credible; VA examiner opinions found conclusory and inadequate
Private treatment records show daily topical corticosteroid use.; November 2023 VA examination was inadequate due to incorrect factual premise.; Resolving reasonable doubt in veteran's favor, 60% rating warranted.
Denied
60% is the maximum schedular rating.; No criteria met for higher evaluation.
Neither Zyrtec nor clobetasol-betamethasone met the criteria for systemic therapy like corticosteroids.; Zyrtec is an antihistamine, not a significant immunosuppressive drug.; Clobetasol-betamethasone is topical, not systemic.
Psoriasis rated under DC 7816; Less than 5% body involvement; No treatment in past year
Rules that apply to psoriasis 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 psoriasis 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 psoriasis 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.