BVA decisions by condition
Prostate gland disease: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a prostate gland disease issue in 3,431 decisions. It granted the prostate gland disease issue in 13.7% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 35.9%, and remanded it in 49.1%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 27.6% were granted.
Decisions
3,431
2017–2026
Granted
13.7%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
27.6%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
49.1%
Denied: 35.9%
Prostate gland disease outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 290 | 7.9% | 44.5% | 43.4% |
| 2018 | 401 | 11.5% | 43.4% | 43.6% |
| 2019 | 398 | 12.3% | 39.4% | 46.5% |
| 2020 | 412 | 12.1% | 36.7% | 50.0% |
| 2021 | 365 | 16.7% | 31.2% | 51.2% |
| 2022 | 381 | 13.6% | 28.6% | 56.7% |
| 2023 | 374 | 11.2% | 36.6% | 50.5% |
| 2024 | 345 | 18.3% | 31.6% | 50.7% |
| 2025 | 332 | 13.9% | 33.7% | 51.2% |
| 2026 | 133 | 27.8% | 29.3% | 42.9% |
Evidence in granted and denied prostate gland disease decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the prostate gland 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 | 323 | 52.5% | 23.9% | +28.6 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 147 | 53.5% | 26.0% | +27.5 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 290 | 45.5% | 25.1% | +20.4 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 894 | 36.2% | 23.8% | +12.3 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 672 | 29.5% | 27.3% | +2.2 pts |
| Combat service | 252 | 26.5% | 27.7% | −1.2 pts |
| Lay statement | 2,483 | 26.0% | 33.9% | −7.9 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 68.9% of the decisions that granted prostate gland disease.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 36.9% of grants and 8.4% 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 prostate gland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unfavorable VA exam | 2,151 | 22.4% | 40.4% | −18.0 pts |
| Negative nexus opinion | 1,506 | 17.1% | 37.5% | −20.5 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied prostate gland disease
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established45
- Veteran diagnosed with prostate cancer10
- Service connection established7
- Prostate cancer is a presumptive condition for herbicide exposure7
- Veteran served in thailand during vietnam era7
- Prostate cancer diagnosed4
- Prostate cancer is presumptively linked to herbicide exposure4
- Prostate cancer is a presumptive condition linked to herbicide exposure4
Most common reasons in denials
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis190
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service146
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim128
- Service records negative or silent105
- Current diagnosis established53
- No current diagnosis50
- No continuity of symptomatology19
- Already at the maximum schedular rating14
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 gland disease decisions
Granted
Proximately due to service-connected hypertension and cardiovascular disabilities; Favorable VA medical opinion linking BPH to hypertension and cardiovascular disease; Resolving doubt in Veteran's favor
Existing current disability (BPH) established.; Aggravated by service-connected mental disorders (major depressive disorder, adjustment disorder).; Resolving doubt in veteran's favor per 38 C.F.R. § 3.102 and Spicer v. McDonough.
Current diagnosis of BPH established; BPH caused or worsened by service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II; Resolving reasonable doubt in Veteran's favor
Denied
Failure to attend VA examination; No good cause shown for failure to attend; Claim denied as a matter of law per 38 C.F.R. § 3.655(b)
No evidence of prostate disability diagnosis; No in-service complaints; No nexus established to service
No in-service diagnosis; Diagnosis over 50 years post-service; No evidence-based link between TERA exposure and condition; Likely age-related condition
Rules that apply to prostate gland 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 prostate gland 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 prostate gland 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.