BVA decisions by condition
Chloracne: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a chloracne issue in 528 decisions. It granted the chloracne issue in 10.8% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 34.3%, and remanded it in 52.5%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 23.9% were granted.
Decisions
528
2017–2026
Granted
10.8%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
23.9%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
52.5%
Denied: 34.3%
Chloracne outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 63 | 9.5% | 36.5% | 50.8% |
| 2019 | 63 | 11.1% | 31.7% | 55.6% |
| 2020 | 81 | 6.2% | 34.6% | 53.1% |
| 2021 | 50 | 14.0% | 44.0% | 42.0% |
| 2022 | 65 | 12.3% | 27.7% | 56.9% |
| 2023 | 67 | 6.0% | 25.4% | 67.2% |
| 2024 | 53 | 18.9% | 30.2% | 50.9% |
Evidence in granted and denied chloracne decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the chloracne 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 | 80 | 51.9% | 16.1% | +35.8 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 75 | 52.0% | 16.5% | +35.5 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 140 | 31.0% | 20.1% | +10.8 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 87 | 16.0% | 24.9% | −8.9 pts |
| Combat service | 83 | 15.4% | 25.6% | −10.2 pts |
| Lay statement | 393 | 21.2% | 35.6% | −14.3 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 71.9% of the decisions that granted chloracne.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 31.6% of grants and 14.9% 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 chloracne 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 | 209 | 19.6% | 27.8% | −8.1 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 339 | 20.2% | 36.4% | −16.1 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied chloracne
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established8
- Criteria for service connection met4
- Presumed exposure to herbicide agents2
- Conceded herbicide exposure in vietnam2
- Diagnosis of chloracne2
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis47
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim20
- Current diagnosis established16
- Service records negative or silent16
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service7
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis7
- No diagnosis of chloracne3
- Claim denied2
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 chloracne decisions
Granted
Chloracne affected intertriginous areas; Met criteria for 20 percent rating; Did not meet criteria for higher rating
Presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(e); Chloracne manifested within one year of last exposure; Resolved doubt in Veteran's favor due to approximate balance of evidence
Service connection for chloracne granted.; Related to in-service herbicide exposure.
Denied
VA examiner found no current diagnosis of chloracne.; Examiners opined porphyria cutanea tarda not related to service or TERA.; Lay statements were considered but given less weight than medical evidence.
Persuasive weight of evidence against service connection; Lay statements not competent or credible; No nexus to service or TERA established
No current diagnosis of skin disability during appeal period or proximate thereto.; No evidence of functional impairment affecting earning capacity.; Benefit of the doubt rule not applicable as evidence not in approximate balance.
Rules that apply to chloracne 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 chloracne 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 chloracne 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.