BVA decisions by condition
Prostate cancer: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2018 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a prostate cancer issue in 727 decisions. It granted the prostate cancer issue in 18.7% of them, close to the 19.9% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 22.6%, and remanded it in 57.2%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 45.3% were granted.
Decisions
727
2018–2026
Granted
18.7%
All conditions: 19.9%
Granted on the merits
45.3%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
57.2%
Denied: 22.6%
Prostate cancer outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 63 | 7.9% | 25.4% | 65.1% |
| 2019 | 100 | 21.0% | 20.0% | 57.0% |
| 2020 | 114 | 23.7% | 29.8% | 46.5% |
| 2021 | 97 | 23.7% | 25.8% | 49.5% |
| 2022 | 91 | 23.1% | 25.3% | 48.4% |
| 2023 | 98 | 18.4% | 18.4% | 64.3% |
| 2024 | 70 | 14.3% | 21.4% | 58.6% |
| 2025 | 63 | 12.7% | 11.1% | 76.2% |
Evidence in granted and denied prostate cancer decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the prostate cancer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buddy statement | 41 | 73.9% | 43.0% | +31.0 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 144 | 68.2% | 41.4% | +26.8 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 258 | 50.0% | 42.9% | +7.1 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 111 | 48.8% | 44.7% | +4.1 pts |
| Combat service | 57 | 34.6% | 46.4% | −11.7 pts |
| Lay statement | 630 | 41.7% | 64.6% | −22.9 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 82.4% of the decisions that granted prostate cancer.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 50.0% of grants and 14.0% 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 prostate cancer 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 | 307 | 27.6% | 54.9% | −27.3 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 493 | 34.4% | 62.4% | −28.0 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied prostate cancer
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established9
- Prostate cancer is a presumptive condition for herbicide exposure7
- Presumptive service connection for prostate cancer due to herbicide exposure4
- Veteran diagnosed with prostate cancer4
- Prostate cancer is presumptively linked to herbicide exposure4
- Veteran served in thailand during vietnam era4
- Prostate cancer is a presumptive condition under 38 c.f.r. § 3.309(e) for herbicide-exposed veterans3
- Prostate cancer is a presumptive condition under 38 c.f.r. § 3.309(e) for herbicide exposure3
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim16
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis16
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service8
- Service records negative or silent6
- Current diagnosis established5
- Prostate cancer rated under DC 75285
- No continuity of symptomatology4
- No evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation3
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 prostate cancer decisions
Granted
Criteria for service connection met; Prostate cancer granted service connection
Veteran has current diagnosis of prostate cancer; Credible testimony of herbicide exposure in service; Presumptive service connection for prostate cancer due to herbicide exposure
Rating based on urinary frequency; Supports 40 percent rating from November 6, 2017; Weight of evidence against rating in excess of 40 percent
Denied
No in-service complaints or diagnosis of prostate cancer.; Earliest medical documentation over four decades after service.; No evidence of herbicide exposure (USS Ticonderoga did not meet BWN Act criteria).; Veteran's claims of airborne herbicide exposure deemed speculative.; Medical literature does not recognize asbestos as a cause of prostate cancer.; Prostate cancer most likely due to advanced age.
Service treatment records silent for prostate cancer and Agent Orange exposure.; Records research found no mention of herbicide use or specific duties near DMZ.; No presumption of Agent Orange exposure; direct causation not proven.; Late onset (2026) does not support in-service onset.; VA examiner opined less likely than not related to conceded toxic exposures.; VA opinion found highly probative; Board found persuasive weight against nexus.
No evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation of prostate cancer.; Prostate cancer diagnosed 37 years post-service with no continuity of symptoms.; No evidence of in-service exposure to ionizing radiation or chemicals.; No evidence of radiogenic disease or exposure to ionizing radiation.; Veteran's claims of chemical exposure were not substantiated.
Rules that apply to prostate cancer 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 prostate cancer 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 prostate cancer 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.