BVA decisions by condition
Elbow impairment: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2018 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a elbow impairment issue in 5,263 decisions. It granted the elbow impairment issue in 15.3% of them, below the 19.9% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 34.0%, and remanded it in 52.5%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 31.1% were granted.
Decisions
5,263
2018–2026
Granted
15.3%
All conditions: 19.9%
Granted on the merits
31.1%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
52.5%
Denied: 34.0%
Elbow impairment outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 478 | 9.8% | 35.4% | 54.6% |
| 2019 | 578 | 9.9% | 36.0% | 55.7% |
| 2020 | 615 | 14.0% | 39.5% | 49.3% |
| 2021 | 604 | 11.6% | 33.9% | 56.3% |
| 2022 | 596 | 14.1% | 29.9% | 58.9% |
| 2023 | 663 | 14.6% | 32.3% | 55.1% |
| 2024 | 673 | 16.3% | 31.2% | 53.2% |
| 2025 | 783 | 22.7% | 33.3% | 46.1% |
| 2026 | 273 | 28.6% | 37.0% | 37.0% |
Evidence in granted and denied elbow impairment decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the elbow impairment 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 | 655 | 65.5% | 23.4% | +42.1 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 512 | 55.1% | 26.6% | +28.5 pts |
| Buddy statement | 188 | 51.1% | 30.4% | +20.8 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 195 | 50.0% | 30.2% | +19.8 pts |
| Combat service | 350 | 44.7% | 30.0% | +14.7 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 1,282 | 40.8% | 27.1% | +13.7 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 541 | 33.3% | 30.9% | +2.4 pts |
| Lay statement | 4,301 | 31.3% | 30.0% | +1.3 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 71.4% of the decisions that granted elbow impairment.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 47.1% of grants and 13.5% 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 elbow impairment 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 | 2,516 | 30.9% | 31.3% | −0.4 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 3,920 | 30.0% | 36.0% | −6.0 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied elbow impairment
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established112
- Criteria for service connection met19
- Continuity of symptomatology since service18
- Caused by the service-connected disability16
- Evidence evenly balanced15
- In-service injury documented8
- Criteria for 10 percent rating met7
- New and material evidence received7
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis229
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis181
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim164
- Service records negative or silent146
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service145
- Current diagnosis established85
- Criteria for service connection not met38
- No continuity of symptomatology28
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 elbow impairment decisions
Granted
Evidence found to be in equipoise regarding sustained improvement.; Reduction from 20% to 10% deemed improper.; Restoration of 20% rating granted.
In-service onset of pain and tingling in left elbow.; Symptoms consistent with current diagnosis of left elbow strain.; Combat veteran presumption applied.
In-service injury documented: left forearm pain and bump by Humvee in 2003.; Lay statements from Veteran and wife corroborate persistent symptoms and limitations.; Private medical opinion found it more likely than not that chronic elbow pain, medial epicondylitis, and tendonitis were caused by service.
Denied
Maximum schedular rating for DC 5215 is 10 percent.; Record does not show ankylosis of the wrist.; Record does not show additional surgery during the period on appeal.
No credible nexus to service; VA examiner opined less likely than not related to service; Lack of continuity of symptomatology
Veteran seeks rating in excess of 30 percent.; Condition evaluated under DC 5213 for limitation of pronation.; Higher evaluation requires bone fusion, which is not present.; 30 percent is maximum available evaluation for pronation limitation.
Rules that apply to elbow impairment 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 elbow impairment 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 elbow impairment 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.