BVA decisions by condition
Scars disfiguring: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a scars disfiguring issue in 1,042 decisions. It granted the scars disfiguring issue in 17.2% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 25.6%, and remanded it in 54.3%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 40.1% were granted.
Decisions
1,042
2017–2026
Granted
17.2%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
40.1%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
54.3%
Denied: 25.6%
Scars disfiguring outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 63 | 15.9% | 30.2% | 47.6% | 6.3% |
| 2019 | 86 | 12.8% | 30.2% | 54.7% | 2.3% |
| 2020 | 167 | 6.6% | 23.4% | 64.7% | 5.4% |
| 2021 | 157 | 22.9% | 21.7% | 51.6% | 3.8% |
| 2022 | 161 | 14.9% | 9.9% | 68.9% | 6.2% |
| 2023 | 189 | 14.3% | 21.7% | 61.4% | 2.6% |
| 2024 | 184 | 14.7% | 34.2% | 50.0% | 1.1% |
| 2025 | 135 | 22.2% | 34.1% | 40.7% | 3.0% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 scars disfiguring decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the scars disfiguring 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 | 96 | 71.4% | 35.0% | +36.4 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 113 | 68.8% | 33.9% | +34.9 pts |
| Combat service | 69 | 63.3% | 38.5% | +24.9 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 118 | 51.2% | 39.0% | +12.2 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 198 | 46.4% | 38.7% | +7.8 pts |
| Lay statement | 804 | 39.0% | 45.6% | −6.6 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 54.7% of the decisions that granted scars disfiguring.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 42.5% of grants and 7.9% 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 scars disfiguring 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 | 380 | 37.5% | 42.4% | −4.9 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 659 | 37.5% | 49.5% | −12.0 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied scars disfiguring
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established14
- Caused by the service-connected disability7
- Criteria for service connection met6
- New and material evidence received3
- Skin disability related to service2
- Service connection warranted2
- Criteria for 10 percent rating met2
- New and material evidence submitted2
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis38
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim20
- Service records negative or silent18
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis14
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service13
- Current diagnosis established13
- Criteria for service connection not met7
- Criteria for compensable rating not met3
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 scars disfiguring decisions
Granted
Evidence for and against claim in approximate balance; Benefit of the doubt resolved in Veteran's favor
Favorable finding of current disability; Favorable finding of causation from service-connected condition; All elements for secondary service connection met
Granted as secondary to service-connected carcinomas; Scars resulted from treatment procedures
Denied
No current disability confirmed by service treatment records or VA exam; VA examiner found no visible scars; Evidence weighs against claim, not in approximate balance
No positive nexus between in-service events and current chest scars.; Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity lacked credibility due to inconsistencies with service treatment records.; Shingles diagnosis deemed an acute, isolated incident unrelated to service.
No positive nexus between in-service neck masses and current chest scars.; Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of chest scarring lack credibility.; No presumptive service connection for chest scars related to Camp Lejeune or toxic exposures.
Rules that apply to scars disfiguring 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 scars disfiguring 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 scars disfiguring 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.