BVA decisions by condition
Voiding dysfunction: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a voiding dysfunction issue in 1,984 decisions. It granted the voiding dysfunction issue in 29.0% of them, above the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 43.9%, and remanded it in 27.5%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 39.8% were granted.
Decisions
1,984
2017–2026
Granted
29.0%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
39.8%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
27.5%
Denied: 43.9%
Voiding dysfunction outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 58 | 27.6% | 55.2% | 15.5% | 1.7% |
| 2018 | 84 | 33.3% | 42.9% | 15.5% | 8.3% |
| 2019 | 171 | 19.9% | 44.4% | 32.7% | 2.9% |
| 2020 | 235 | 23.4% | 49.4% | 26.4% | 0.9% |
| 2021 | 216 | 24.1% | 47.7% | 25.0% | 3.2% |
| 2022 | 258 | 27.9% | 38.8% | 32.2% | 1.2% |
| 2023 | 218 | 27.1% | 39.9% | 31.2% | 1.8% |
| 2024 | 314 | 30.9% | 37.9% | 29.6% | 1.6% |
| 2025 | 376 | 31.6% | 42.8% | 24.7% | 0.8% |
| 2026 | 143 | 35.7% | 43.4% | 19.6% | 1.4% |
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 Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome.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 voiding dysfunction decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the voiding dysfunction 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 | 335 | 65.7% | 33.7% | +32.0 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 610 | 57.6% | 34.0% | +23.5 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 324 | 57.3% | 35.5% | +21.8 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 137 | 53.1% | 38.7% | +14.4 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 651 | 48.4% | 34.9% | +13.5 pts |
| Lay statement | 1,564 | 39.5% | 41.4% | −2.0 pts |
| Combat service | 82 | 30.4% | 40.2% | −9.9 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 63.7% of the decisions that granted voiding dysfunction.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 34.5% of grants and 14.5% 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 voiding dysfunction 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 | 843 | 39.7% | 39.9% | −0.3 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 1,603 | 37.6% | 52.0% | −14.4 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied voiding dysfunction
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established50
- Caused by the service-connected disability48
- Already at the maximum schedular rating19
- Service connection established19
- Prostate cancer residuals rated under DC 75285
- Veteran's testimony regarding frequency of absorbent material changes found credible4
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service4
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability4
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim65
- No current diagnosis62
- Already at the maximum schedular rating49
- Service records negative or silent30
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service27
- Current diagnosis established25
- No evidence of renal dysfunction25
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis24
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 voiding dysfunction decisions
Granted
Credible testimony of urinary frequency; Waking 3-4 times nightly; Waking 7-8 times daily
Obstructed voiding with weak stream and diminished peak flow rate; Consistent with 10 percent rating criteria under DC 7542
Conceded exposure to mustard gas at Edgewood Arsenal.; VA examiner concluded increased urinary frequency was due to mustard gas exposure.; Service connection granted as criteria are met.
Denied
Evidence persuasively weighs against nexus to service; 27-year gap between in-service UTI treatment and current voiding dysfunction; No competent medical evidence linking heavy lifting to current voiding dysfunction
VA examination noted urinary frequency manifested by nighttime awakening to void three to four times.; Rating criteria for voiding dysfunction under previous C.F.R. § 4.115a assigned 20 percent for this frequency.; No findings supported a higher rating for urinary frequency.
Evidence weighs against rating in excess of 40%; VA examination documented voiding dysfunction requiring 2-4 changes daily; No evidence of voiding dysfunction requiring appliance or >4 changes daily
Rules that apply to voiding dysfunction 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 voiding dysfunction 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 voiding dysfunction 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.