BVA decisions by condition
The cause of the veteran's death: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a the cause of the veteran's death issue in 1,127 decisions. It granted the the cause of the veteran's death issue in 40.7% of them, above the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 17.7%, and remanded it in 41.3%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 69.8% were granted.
From Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions: appeals, not VA's first decisions. Issue-level outcomes.
Decisions
1,127
2017–2026
Granted
40.7%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
69.8%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
41.3%
Denied: 17.7%
At a glance
Evidence in granted and denied the cause of the veteran's death decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the the cause of the veteran's death 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 | 275 | 95.8% | 54.9% | +40.9 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 487 | 79.9% | 58.7% | +21.2 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 99 | 88.0% | 67.4% | +20.6 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 66 | 87.9% | 68.0% | +19.9 pts |
| Combat service | 86 | 78.2% | 69.0% | +9.2 pts |
| Lay statement | 732 | 59.2% | 89.2% | −30.1 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 76.5% of the decisions that granted the cause of the veteran's death.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 17.2% of grants and 5.5% 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 the cause of the veteran's death 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unfavorable VA exam | 564 | 56.0% | 85.6% | −29.7 pts |
| Negative nexus opinion | 466 | 51.7% | 84.2% | −32.4 pts |
Recent the cause of the veteran's death decisions
Granted
Denied
The cause of the veteran's death outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 168 | 38.7% | 21.4% | 39.9% | 0.0% |
| 2018 | 220 | 35.9% | 25.5% | 38.6% | 0.0% |
| 2019 | 111 | 32.4% | 22.5% | 45.0% | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 71 | 35.2% | 18.3% | 46.5% | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 115 | 37.4% | 13.0% | 48.7% | 0.9% |
| 2022 | 142 | 49.3% | 14.1% | 35.9% | 0.7% |
| 2023 | 131 | 38.2% | 7.6% | 53.4% | 0.8% |
| 2024 | 74 | 47.3% | 18.9% | 32.4% | 1.4% |
| 2025 | 58 | 58.6% | 6.9% | 34.5% | 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.
Rules that apply to the cause of the veteran's death 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 the cause of the veteran's death 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 the cause of the veteran's death 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.
Where this data comes from
- Claim
- Regional office decides
- Veteran appeals
- Board decides
- Granted · Denied · Remanded: back to the regional office
Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions show how VA's highest review body applies 38 CFR and weighs evidence on contested claims.
Each one is an appeal: a regional office decided the claim first, and the veteran appealed. So these rates describe the Board, not a veteran's odds at the regional office, where most claims are decided and whose decisions are not public.
More on what Board decisions can and cannot tell you