BVA decisions by condition
Eye impairment of muscles: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a eye impairment of muscles issue in 3,743 decisions. It granted the eye impairment of muscles issue in 8.6% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 33.8%, and remanded it in 56.1%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 20.3% were granted.
Decisions
3,743
2017–2026
Granted
8.6%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
20.3%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
56.1%
Denied: 33.8%
Eye impairment of muscles outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 414 | 7.5% | 37.2% | 49.0% |
| 2018 | 660 | 5.3% | 39.4% | 52.3% |
| 2019 | 517 | 7.4% | 33.1% | 59.4% |
| 2020 | 380 | 8.2% | 31.1% | 59.7% |
| 2021 | 396 | 9.8% | 34.6% | 56.3% |
| 2022 | 393 | 10.2% | 27.5% | 62.6% |
| 2023 | 380 | 6.8% | 28.2% | 64.5% |
| 2024 | 285 | 8.1% | 33.3% | 57.9% |
| 2025 | 219 | 18.7% | 35.6% | 43.8% |
| 2026 | 99 | 19.2% | 39.4% | 41.4% |
Evidence in granted and denied eye impairment of muscles decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the eye impairment of muscles 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 | 347 | 48.1% | 15.5% | +32.5 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 392 | 47.7% | 15.5% | +32.2 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 122 | 37.5% | 19.7% | +17.8 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 597 | 30.2% | 19.0% | +11.2 pts |
| Combat service | 185 | 25.6% | 20.0% | +5.6 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 862 | 24.3% | 18.8% | +5.5 pts |
| Lay statement | 2,919 | 19.2% | 27.2% | −8.0 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 64.7% of the decisions that granted eye impairment of muscles.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 35.9% of grants and 11.4% 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 eye impairment of muscles 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unfavorable VA exam | 2,557 | 18.9% | 26.5% | −7.6 pts |
| Negative nexus opinion | 1,854 | 16.7% | 25.8% | −9.1 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied eye impairment of muscles
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established45
- Caused by the service-connected disability15
- Service connection established7
- Service connection granted4
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service3
- Already at the maximum schedular rating3
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim149
- No current diagnosis115
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service107
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis78
- Service records negative or silent70
- Current diagnosis established53
- Criteria for service connection not met19
- Already at the maximum schedular rating15
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 eye impairment of muscles decisions
Granted
AOJ conceded current disability and in-service occurrence.; VA examination deemed inadequate due to inaccurate history and irrelevant characterization.; Evidence found in approximate balance, warranting benefit of the doubt.
Bilateral dry eye syndrome requires treatment with artificial tears.; Diagnostic Code 6025 contemplates disorders of the lacrimal apparatus.; Rated by analogy under Diagnostic Codes 6099-6025.
Service connection granted as secondary to service-connected right eye disability; Benefit of the doubt applied due to approximate balance of evidence; AOJ conceded current diagnoses of left eye pseudophakia, chorioretinal scarring, and dry eye syndrome
Denied
Service connection for primary condition (diabetes mellitus) denied; Cannot establish secondary condition without primary condition service connection
No visual impairment or incapacitating episodes from pseudophakia; Decrease in visual acuity attributed to glaucoma; No compensable rating warranted
Evidence weighed against service connection; Criteria for compensable rating not met
Rules that apply to eye impairment of muscles 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 eye impairment of muscles 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 eye impairment of muscles 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.