BVA decisions by condition
Gastritis: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2018 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a gastritis issue in 535 decisions. It granted the gastritis issue in 12.0% of them, below the 19.9% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 26.4%, and remanded it in 60.2%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 31.2% were granted.
Decisions
535
2018–2026
Granted
12.0%
All conditions: 19.9%
Granted on the merits
31.2%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
60.2%
Denied: 26.4%
Gastritis outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 51 | 3.9% | 31.4% | 58.8% |
| 2020 | 63 | 7.9% | 30.2% | 60.3% |
| 2021 | 71 | 14.1% | 31.0% | 53.5% |
| 2022 | 53 | 18.9% | 18.9% | 62.3% |
| 2023 | 70 | 11.4% | 24.3% | 64.3% |
| 2024 | 94 | 12.8% | 25.5% | 60.6% |
| 2025 | 67 | 9.0% | 20.9% | 67.2% |
Evidence in granted and denied gastritis decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the gastritis 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 | 84 | 77.3% | 18.6% | +58.6 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 78 | 73.0% | 22.0% | +50.9 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 113 | 59.5% | 23.9% | +35.6 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 149 | 47.7% | 23.6% | +24.1 pts |
| Lay statement | 451 | 29.3% | 45.8% | −16.6 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 71.9% of the decisions that granted gastritis.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 34.4% of grants and 11.3% 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 gastritis 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 | 330 | 26.3% | 41.2% | −14.9 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 453 | 27.9% | 59.1% | −31.2 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied gastritis
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established9
- Service connection established5
- Caused by the service-connected disability2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim19
- No current diagnosis13
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis10
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service7
- Service records negative or silent7
- Current diagnosis established4
- No nexus to service established4
- Evidence did not show multiple small eroded or ulcerated areas2
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 gastritis decisions
Granted
Current diagnosis of gastritis; Veteran reported GI symptoms during deployment; Private physician opined symptoms likely sequela of acute illness during service; Opinion consistent with STRs documenting GI symptoms; Evidence in approximate balance, doubt resolved in Veteran's favor
Service treatment records show diagnosis of early gastritis in service.; VA examination confirmed gastritis.; No persuasive evidence to the contrary.
Evidence evenly balanced regarding relation to service-connected migraines; Reasonable doubt resolved in veteran's favor; Private physician opinion linked gastritis to migraine medication
Denied
No current diagnosis of gastritis; Lay testimony lacked probative value for diagnosis; Evidence weighs against claim
No evidence of small nodular lesions for 10 percent rating; Symptoms did not meet criteria for compensable rating; Benefit of the doubt doctrine not applicable as evidence weighed against claim
Amended criteria more favorable; Veteran met criteria for 40% rating from May 19, 2024; Pre-amended criteria for higher rating not met
Rules that apply to gastritis 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 gastritis 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 gastritis 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.