BVA decisions by condition
Lower extremity impairment: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a lower extremity impairment issue in 548 decisions. It granted the lower extremity impairment issue in 4.0% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 31.0%, and remanded it in 63.5%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 11.5% were granted.
Decisions
548
2017–2026
Granted
4.0%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
11.5%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
63.5%
Denied: 31.0%
Lower extremity impairment outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 59 | 0.0% | 37.3% | 61.0% |
| 2018 | 103 | 4.9% | 28.2% | 66.0% |
| 2019 | 104 | 3.8% | 30.8% | 62.5% |
| 2020 | 69 | 2.9% | 33.3% | 62.3% |
Evidence in granted and denied lower extremity impairment decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the lower extremity 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorable VA exam | 41 | 31.8% | 8.8% | +23.0 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 177 | 23.4% | 7.6% | +15.8 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 77 | 23.7% | 8.4% | +15.2 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 149 | 16.7% | 8.7% | +7.9 pts |
| Lay statement | 428 | 9.5% | 20.6% | −11.1 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 81.8% of the decisions that granted lower extremity impairment.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 22.7% of grants and 10.0% 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 lower extremity 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 | 253 | 8.3% | 15.5% | −7.1 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 345 | 8.9% | 19.6% | −10.7 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied lower extremity impairment
Most common reasons in grants
- Severance of service connection was improper2
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis48
- Service records negative or silent18
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim18
- Current diagnosis established11
- Criteria for service connection not met6
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis6
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service4
- Caused by the service-connected disability3
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 lower extremity impairment decisions
Granted
Private medical opinion found it at least as likely as not related to service; Opinion linked to in-service injury and impact on lower kinetic chain
Hypertension is service-connected.; Veteran has bilateral lower extremity weakness.; Examiner opined hypertension contributed to stroke causing physical disabilities.
Service connection granted
Denied
Criteria for extraschedular evaluation not met; Loss of use did not warrant extraschedular consideration
Weight of evidence against disability; No manifestation during service; No disease or injury during service
Not attributable to service; Not attributable to service-connected disability
Rules that apply to lower extremity 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 lower extremity 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 lower extremity 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 (2017–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.