BVA decisions by condition
Benign skin neoplasms: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2018 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a benign skin neoplasms issue in 782 decisions. It granted the benign skin neoplasms issue in 12.7% of them, below the 19.9% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 37.0%, and remanded it in 48.7%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 25.5% were granted.
Decisions
782
2018–2026
Granted
12.7%
All conditions: 19.9%
Granted on the merits
25.5%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
48.7%
Denied: 37.0%
Benign skin neoplasms outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 93 | 9.7% | 38.7% | 46.2% |
| 2019 | 101 | 8.9% | 42.6% | 46.5% |
| 2020 | 106 | 11.3% | 47.2% | 40.6% |
| 2021 | 91 | 11.0% | 38.5% | 49.5% |
| 2022 | 105 | 10.5% | 32.4% | 56.2% |
| 2023 | 85 | 16.5% | 29.4% | 51.8% |
| 2024 | 82 | 12.2% | 30.5% | 58.5% |
| 2025 | 91 | 17.6% | 37.4% | 42.9% |
Evidence in granted and denied benign skin neoplasms decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the benign skin neoplasms 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorable VA exam | 88 | 50.0% | 21.0% | +29.0 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 94 | 43.9% | 21.7% | +22.2 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 192 | 35.2% | 21.8% | +13.4 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 112 | 29.3% | 25.1% | +4.2 pts |
| Combat service | 63 | 27.8% | 25.3% | +2.5 pts |
| Lay statement | 605 | 22.6% | 39.1% | −16.6 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 65.7% of the decisions that granted benign skin neoplasms.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 32.3% of grants and 9.0% 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 benign skin neoplasms 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 | 413 | 21.9% | 30.5% | −8.6 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 561 | 21.3% | 42.3% | −21.0 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied benign skin neoplasms
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established16
- Caused by the service-connected disability3
- Predominant disability is benign skin neoplasms2
- Criteria for service connection met2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim30
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service27
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis25
- Service records negative or silent23
- No current diagnosis17
- Current diagnosis established14
- Criteria for service connection not met7
- Criteria for compensable rating not met7
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 benign skin neoplasms decisions
Granted
Secondary to service-connected morbid obesity; 38 C.F.R. § 3.102 criteria met
Conceded exposure to herbicide agents, mustard gas, and ionizing radiation at Edgewood Arsenal.; VA examiner concluded skin conditions were due to exposure to mustard gas.; Service connection granted as criteria are met.
VA examiner's opinion found to be of low probative value; Did not adequately address veteran's service history or lay statements; Applied a higher standard than benefit of the doubt; Examiner conceded possibility of inflammation affecting lipoma
Denied
No evidence of right leg cyst in service; No evidence of current right leg cyst; Evidence points to left leg cyst
No credible evidence of in-service sebaceous cyst
Service treatment records negative for lipoma; VA opinions found lipoma cause unknown and unrelated to toxic exposures; Service separation exams found no tumors/growths
Rules that apply to benign skin neoplasms 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 benign skin neoplasms 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 benign skin neoplasms 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 (2018–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.