BVA decisions by condition
Rheumatoid arthritis: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a rheumatoid arthritis issue in 1,356 decisions. It granted the rheumatoid arthritis issue in 12.2% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 28.4%, and remanded it in 58.0%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 30.0% were granted.
Decisions
1,356
2017–2026
Granted
12.2%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
30.0%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
58.0%
Denied: 28.4%
Rheumatoid arthritis outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 120 | 6.7% | 40.8% | 47.5% | 5.0% |
| 2018 | 170 | 9.4% | 29.4% | 56.5% | 4.7% |
| 2019 | 227 | 10.6% | 30.8% | 56.4% | 2.2% |
| 2020 | 154 | 12.3% | 26.6% | 59.7% | 1.3% |
| 2021 | 200 | 15.0% | 29.5% | 55.0% | 0.5% |
| 2022 | 187 | 11.8% | 16.6% | 71.1% | 0.5% |
| 2023 | 232 | 8.2% | 20.3% | 70.3% | 1.3% |
| 2024 | 178 | 11.8% | 20.2% | 66.3% | 1.7% |
| 2025 | 163 | 17.2% | 22.7% | 59.5% | 0.6% |
| 2026 | 62 | 16.1% | 33.9% | 50.0% | 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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 rheumatoid arthritis decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the rheumatoid arthritis 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 | 238 | 68.0% | 15.8% | +52.3 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 156 | 62.1% | 22.6% | +39.5 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 98 | 54.3% | 27.8% | +26.6 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 483 | 43.7% | 19.0% | +24.7 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 284 | 38.4% | 28.4% | +9.9 pts |
| Combat service | 64 | 22.2% | 30.4% | −8.2 pts |
| Lay statement | 1,057 | 27.7% | 42.9% | −15.2 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 80.6% of the decisions that granted rheumatoid arthritis.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 36.4% 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 rheumatoid arthritis 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 | 731 | 28.4% | 32.5% | −4.1 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 941 | 27.3% | 39.8% | −12.5 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied rheumatoid arthritis
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established25
- Continuity of symptomatology since service9
- Caused by the service-connected disability4
- Private medical opinion linked condition to service3
- Criteria for service connection met3
- Service connection established3
- Presumed herbicide exposure in vietnam2
- Confirmed diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim68
- No current diagnosis54
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis48
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service42
- Service records negative or silent35
- Current diagnosis established21
- No continuity of symptomatology17
- Continuity of symptomatology since service9
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 rheumatoid arthritis decisions
Granted
Evidence in equipoise regarding TERA contribution; Conceded TERA participation; Diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis dating from at least 2009
Current diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis established.; Service-connected major depressive disorder with anxious distress.; Private medical opinion found RA etiologically related to psychiatric disorder.; Resolving doubt in Veteran's favor.
Current diagnosis of multi-joint rheumatoid arthritis; In-service complaints of chronic joint pain and swollen joints; Continuity of symptomatology shown in post-service records; Benefit of the doubt applied due to approximate balance of evidence
Denied
Evidence weighs against diagnosis; VA examiner provided negative nexus opinion; Osteoarthritis accounts for joint pain
No in-service diagnosis or continuity of symptomatology.; No presumptive service connection established.; Lay statements not competent to address etiology.
No diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis during period under review; Service medical records negative for diagnosis/treatment; VA examination found no rheumatoid arthritis
Rules that apply to rheumatoid arthritis 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 rheumatoid arthritis 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 rheumatoid arthritis 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.