BVA decisions by condition
Nephritis chronic: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2018 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a nephritis chronic issue in 599 decisions. It granted the nephritis chronic issue in 28.9% of them, above the 19.9% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 21.7%, and remanded it in 48.2%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 57.1% were granted.
Decisions
599
2018–2026
Granted
28.9%
All conditions: 19.9%
Granted on the merits
57.1%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
48.2%
Denied: 21.7%
Nephritis chronic outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 59 | 13.6% | 23.7% | 62.7% |
| 2020 | 75 | 25.3% | 16.0% | 58.7% |
| 2021 | 77 | 29.9% | 20.8% | 49.4% |
| 2022 | 82 | 30.5% | 19.5% | 46.3% |
| 2023 | 83 | 33.7% | 24.1% | 42.2% |
| 2024 | 72 | 37.5% | 18.1% | 43.1% |
| 2025 | 78 | 30.8% | 24.4% | 43.6% |
Evidence in granted and denied nephritis chronic decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the nephritis chronic 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claimed as secondary | 301 | 79.4% | 28.6% | +50.8 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 123 | 90.6% | 41.5% | +49.1 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 83 | 78.5% | 51.3% | +27.2 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 212 | 69.5% | 47.7% | +21.8 pts |
| Lay statement | 403 | 54.0% | 64.4% | −10.5 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 65.9% of the decisions that granted nephritis chronic.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 22.5% of grants and 6.9% 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 nephritis chronic 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 | 261 | 59.9% | 54.5% | +5.4 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 369 | 54.4% | 63.6% | −9.2 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied nephritis chronic
Most common reasons in grants
- Caused by the service-connected disability30
- Current diagnosis established23
- Service connection established16
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability4
- Criteria for secondary service connection met3
- Secondary service connection criteria met2
- Private medical opinion linked chronic kidney disease to hypertension2
- Secondary service connection granted2
Most common reasons in denials
- Service records negative or silent17
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service12
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis11
- No continuity of symptomatology8
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim8
- No current diagnosis7
- No definite decrease in kidney function3
- Did not manifest to a compensable degree within presumptive period2
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 nephritis chronic decisions
Granted
Condition is a complication of service-connected diabetes mellitus.; First manifested on November 14, 2008.; Effective date of November 14, 2008, granted.
Current diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy.; DM is service-connected.; VA examiners found nephropathy caused by DM.
Private clinician found CKD related to service and toxic exposures.; VA examiner found CKD stage 3 but no relationship to TERA.; Board found private opinion more persuasive due to detailed rationale and medical citations.
Denied
Service connection for diabetic nephropathy granted at 60% on November 15, 2024.; Notice of Disagreement filed on December 11, 2025, over one year later.; Untimely appeal is a jurisdictional bar.
Criteria for compensable evaluation not met; GFR did not meet criteria for compensable rating
STRs silent for chronic kidney disease; First treatment decades after service; VA examiner cited hypertension and prediabetes as causes
Rules that apply to nephritis chronic 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 nephritis chronic 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 nephritis chronic 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.