BVA decisions by condition
Urinary incontinence: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a urinary incontinence issue in 2,866 decisions. It granted the urinary incontinence issue in 20.4% of them, close to the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 30.7%, and remanded it in 47.5%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 40.0% were granted.
Decisions
2,866
2017–2026
Granted
20.4%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
40.0%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
47.5%
Denied: 30.7%
Urinary incontinence outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 245 | 11.8% | 38.0% | 46.9% | 3.3% |
| 2018 | 425 | 19.1% | 37.2% | 41.2% | 2.6% |
| 2019 | 358 | 17.9% | 32.4% | 47.5% | 2.2% |
| 2020 | 272 | 17.3% | 29.0% | 52.6% | 1.1% |
| 2021 | 245 | 18.8% | 30.2% | 49.8% | 1.2% |
| 2022 | 256 | 21.5% | 30.9% | 46.5% | 1.2% |
| 2023 | 308 | 20.5% | 26.9% | 50.6% | 1.9% |
| 2024 | 332 | 26.2% | 22.3% | 49.1% | 2.4% |
| 2025 | 368 | 26.6% | 28.8% | 42.9% | 1.6% |
| 2026 | 139 | 19.4% | 27.3% | 50.4% | 2.9% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 urinary incontinence decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the urinary incontinence 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 | 470 | 74.1% | 29.6% | +44.5 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 400 | 67.3% | 33.0% | +34.3 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 185 | 66.9% | 37.6% | +29.4 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 1,338 | 54.7% | 28.3% | +26.4 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 796 | 51.5% | 34.2% | +17.3 pts |
| Combat service | 115 | 53.6% | 39.3% | +14.3 pts |
| Lay statement | 2,232 | 38.0% | 49.2% | −11.2 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 72.8% of the decisions that granted urinary incontinence.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 35.9% of grants and 10.7% 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 urinary incontinence 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 | 1,408 | 35.5% | 45.1% | −9.6 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 1,988 | 37.1% | 48.1% | −11.0 pts |
Urinary incontinence claimed as a secondary condition
Decisions where urinary incontinence was claimed as secondary to another service-connected disability (38 CFR 3.310), by that disability.
Why the Board granted or denied urinary incontinence
Most common reasons in grants
- Caused by the service-connected disability72
- Current diagnosis established63
- Service connection established37
- Prostate cancer is service-connected7
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service5
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability5
- Criteria for secondary service connection met4
- Secondary service connection granted3
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis98
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim87
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service83
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis75
- Service records negative or silent60
- Current diagnosis established40
- Already at the maximum schedular rating16
- Criteria for service connection not met14
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 urinary incontinence decisions
Granted
Competent and credible lay and medical evidence; Private medical opinion supports nexus; Resolving doubt in Veteran's favor
Favorable private medical opinion finding nexus; No contradictory opinions; Benefit of the doubt afforded
Current disability of urinary incontinence established.; In-service diagnosis of acute cystitis.; Conflicting VA examiner opinions; Board found initial positive opinion persuasive over negative addendum.
Denied
No evidence of current diagnosis or symptoms of urinary frequency.; Service treatment records silent for complaints/diagnosis.; Duty to assist not triggered due to lack of current disability evidence.; Evidence weighs against any current urinary frequency.
No evidence of requiring appliance or frequent changes; Evidence persuasively weighs against finding of symptomatology during period on appeal
Criteria for higher evaluations not met; Symptoms did not meet higher evaluation thresholds
Rules that apply to urinary incontinence 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 urinary incontinence 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 urinary incontinence 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.