BVA decisions by condition
Brain disease due to trauma: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a brain disease due to trauma issue in 4,275 decisions. It granted the brain disease due to trauma issue in 15.7% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 28.0%, and remanded it in 53.9%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 36.0% were granted.
Decisions
4,275
2017–2026
Granted
15.7%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
36.0%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
53.9%
Denied: 28.0%
Brain disease due to trauma outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 399 | 13.5% | 32.6% | 46.6% |
| 2018 | 725 | 14.8% | 31.2% | 50.6% |
| 2019 | 626 | 13.6% | 32.7% | 50.6% |
| 2020 | 457 | 11.4% | 28.2% | 59.1% |
| 2021 | 419 | 12.2% | 26.5% | 59.9% |
| 2022 | 431 | 16.7% | 25.1% | 57.8% |
| 2023 | 428 | 15.0% | 23.4% | 60.0% |
| 2024 | 394 | 22.1% | 23.4% | 54.1% |
| 2025 | 275 | 25.8% | 23.3% | 49.8% |
| 2026 | 121 | 24.8% | 24.8% | 47.9% |
Evidence in granted and denied brain disease due to trauma decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the brain disease due to trauma 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 | 750 | 74.1% | 21.4% | +52.7 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 638 | 70.3% | 25.7% | +44.6 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 249 | 67.9% | 33.6% | +34.3 pts |
| Buddy statement | 222 | 59.1% | 34.5% | +24.6 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 1,174 | 51.0% | 28.5% | +22.6 pts |
| Combat service | 485 | 55.0% | 32.9% | +22.0 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 476 | 51.7% | 34.1% | +17.6 pts |
| Lay statement | 3,451 | 33.5% | 54.4% | −20.9 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 76.8% of the decisions that granted brain disease due to trauma.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 40.9% of grants and 11.9% 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 brain disease due to trauma 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 | 2,042 | 30.7% | 43.9% | −13.2 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 2,932 | 32.7% | 49.9% | −17.2 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied brain disease due to trauma
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established69
- Caused by the service-connected disability23
- Service connection established12
- Criteria for service connection met9
- Continuity of symptomatology since service7
- Positive nexus opinion from VA examiner6
- Favorable VA examination opinion5
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability4
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis237
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim144
- Service records negative or silent114
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service105
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis67
- Current diagnosis established57
- Criteria for service connection not met20
- No current TBI diagnosis12
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 brain disease due to trauma decisions
Granted
Competent and credible lay statements from Veteran and spouse corroborate in-service head injury.; Silence of STRs not fatal given circumstances of alleged injury.; Greater weight afforded to probative private medical opinions linking TBI to in-service trauma.
Competent and probative evidence shows TBI resulted from in-service training injury.; Veteran's testimony regarding injury credible and consistent.; Buddy statement corroborates in-service event.; Private medical opinion found TBI at least as likely as not related to in-service injuries.
Current TBI diagnosis by psychologist; Credible lay testimony of in-service head injury; Nexus shown by chronicity and continuity
Denied
No current diagnosis of TBI; No objective medical evidence linking TBI to service; No persistent or recurrent symptoms associated with service
No current disability of memory loss related to heat stroke found.; VA treatment records consistently showed no memory loss reports from 2003-2019.; VA psychiatrist noted absence of cognitive decline; further testing not indicated.; Mental status examinations showed memory, concentration, and attention unimpaired.; Veteran's testimony contradicted by medical evidence.
No current diagnosis of TBI; No persistent or recurrent symptoms of TBI; Service records silent; post-service screening negative
Rules that apply to brain disease due to trauma 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 brain disease due to trauma 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 brain disease due to trauma 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.