BVA decisions by condition
Conjunctivitis: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2018 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a conjunctivitis issue in 519 decisions. It granted the conjunctivitis issue in 17.3% of them, below the 19.9% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 30.1%, and remanded it in 50.5%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 36.6% were granted.
Decisions
519
2018–2026
Granted
17.3%
All conditions: 19.9%
Granted on the merits
36.6%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
50.5%
Denied: 30.1%
Conjunctivitis outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 64 | 10.9% | 34.4% | 53.1% |
| 2020 | 72 | 19.4% | 20.8% | 56.9% |
| 2021 | 53 | 15.1% | 30.2% | 54.7% |
| 2023 | 72 | 15.3% | 23.6% | 58.3% |
| 2024 | 73 | 23.3% | 32.9% | 41.1% |
| 2025 | 64 | 25.0% | 37.5% | 37.5% |
Evidence in granted and denied conjunctivitis decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the conjunctivitis 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 | 67 | 73.3% | 28.4% | +45.0 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 66 | 73.8% | 28.9% | +44.9 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 57 | 61.9% | 34.2% | +27.7 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 101 | 44.0% | 34.7% | +9.3 pts |
| Lay statement | 394 | 35.1% | 41.8% | −6.7 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 57.8% of the decisions that granted conjunctivitis.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 33.3% of grants and 6.4% 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 conjunctivitis 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 | 248 | 36.4% | 36.7% | −0.3 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 378 | 33.8% | 47.1% | −13.2 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied conjunctivitis
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established14
- Caused by the service-connected disability4
- Related to service2
- Competent and credible lay statements2
- Criteria for service connection met2
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis21
- Current diagnosis established10
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim8
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis7
- Service records negative or silent7
- Criteria for service connection not met7
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service6
- No incapacitating episodes5
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 conjunctivitis decisions
Granted
AOJ favorably found diagnosis; Veteran credible and reported continuous symptoms; VA examiner's opinion minimally probative; Directly related to wartime service
Current diagnosis of allergic conjunctivitis; In-service complaint of watery red eyes; Credible and supported testimony
Current diagnosis of chronic allergic conjunctivitis; In-service onset noted in service treatment records; Continuity of symptoms from service to present; Resolving doubt in Veteran's favor due to evidence in equipoise
Denied
No current diagnosis of epiphora; No in-service event causing epiphora; Evidence did not support claim
No evidence of current diagnosis; No contentions regarding disability or symptoms
Service treatment records negative for conjunctivitis at separation.; June 1971 VA exam diagnosed conjunctivitis.; No nexus to service established by AOJ.
Rules that apply to conjunctivitis 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 conjunctivitis 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 conjunctivitis 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.