BVA decisions by condition
Kidney disease: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a kidney disease issue in 7,185 decisions. It granted the kidney disease issue in 17.6% of them, close to the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 35.2%, and remanded it in 46.6%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 33.3% were granted.
Decisions
7,185
2017–2026
Granted
17.6%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
33.3%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
46.6%
Denied: 35.2%
Kidney disease outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 452 | 12.2% | 44.7% | 39.4% |
| 2018 | 696 | 14.7% | 42.0% | 41.1% |
| 2019 | 849 | 13.7% | 39.1% | 47.3% |
| 2020 | 846 | 13.8% | 39.0% | 47.3% |
| 2021 | 769 | 15.3% | 33.6% | 50.6% |
| 2022 | 832 | 18.1% | 30.4% | 51.3% |
| 2023 | 867 | 19.5% | 30.1% | 50.1% |
| 2024 | 760 | 23.2% | 31.2% | 45.9% |
| 2025 | 810 | 21.6% | 34.6% | 43.5% |
| 2026 | 304 | 27.3% | 28.3% | 43.8% |
Evidence in granted and denied kidney disease decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the kidney disease 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 | 1,122 | 71.0% | 22.7% | +48.3 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 795 | 59.8% | 28.3% | +31.6 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 2,730 | 52.5% | 24.4% | +28.1 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 492 | 58.3% | 30.9% | +27.4 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 2,443 | 45.7% | 24.7% | +21.0 pts |
| Buddy statement | 145 | 45.2% | 33.0% | +12.2 pts |
| Combat service | 341 | 37.3% | 33.0% | +4.3 pts |
| Lay statement | 5,193 | 28.3% | 51.5% | −23.3 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 69.7% of the decisions that granted kidney disease.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 22.1% of grants and 10.4% 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 kidney disease 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 | 3,567 | 31.2% | 35.6% | −4.4 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 5,090 | 31.1% | 41.8% | −10.8 pts |
Kidney disease claimed as a secondary condition
Decisions where kidney disease was claimed as secondary to another service-connected disability (38 CFR 3.310), by that disability.
Why the Board granted or denied kidney disease
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established163
- Caused by the service-connected disability127
- Service connection established77
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service10
- Criteria for service connection met10
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability9
- Chronic kidney disease diagnosed9
- Already at the maximum schedular rating7
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim258
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis248
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service210
- No current diagnosis194
- Service records negative or silent193
- Current diagnosis established81
- No continuity of symptomatology57
- Already at the maximum schedular rating30
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 kidney disease decisions
Granted
Current disability established; In-service incurrence established through documentation and medical literature; Nexus established by probative evidence and inadequate negative opinions
Recurrent stone formation requiring drug therapy; Prior version of DC 7508 criteria applied; 30 percent rating is highest available
Multiple opinions relate kidney disease to DMII and hypertension.; November 2023, June 2024, and August 2025 VA examiners opined kidney disease is secondary to DMII.; January 2026 VA examination noted hypertension and renal disease are complications of DMII.
Denied
No medical nexus established between tinnitus and chronic kidney disease.; VA opinions found conditions to be separate entities.; Medical literature failed to support a pathophysiological relationship.
No current diagnosis of kidney disease; Acute renal failure likely due to supplements/diet; No chronic kidney condition found
Service connection for primary condition (diabetes mellitus) denied; Cannot establish secondary condition without primary condition service connection
Rules that apply to kidney disease 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 kidney disease 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 kidney disease 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.