BVA decisions by condition
Sleep disturbance: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a sleep disturbance issue in 510 decisions. It granted the sleep disturbance issue in 13.7% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 31.8%, and remanded it in 51.2%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 30.2% were granted.
Decisions
510
2017–2026
Granted
13.7%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
30.2%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
51.2%
Denied: 31.8%
Sleep disturbance outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 64 | 17.2% | 31.3% | 48.4% |
| 2024 | 61 | 8.2% | 34.4% | 52.5% |
| 2025 | 114 | 18.4% | 36.0% | 42.1% |
Evidence in granted and denied sleep disturbance decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the sleep disturbance 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 | 182 | 53.9% | 18.6% | +35.4 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 74 | 51.1% | 24.9% | +26.2 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 84 | 48.1% | 24.7% | +23.4 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 151 | 32.1% | 29.2% | +2.8 pts |
| Lay statement | 419 | 27.0% | 50.0% | −23.0 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 70.0% of the decisions that granted sleep disturbance.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 31.4% of grants and 14.2% 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 sleep disturbance 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 | 361 | 27.5% | 40.0% | −12.5 pts |
| Negative nexus opinion | 228 | 19.0% | 41.4% | −22.4 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied sleep disturbance
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established10
- Caused by the service-connected disability8
- Holistic analysis of symptoms considered2
- Service connection established2
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis27
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim11
- Service records negative or silent9
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service7
- Current diagnosis established6
- Criteria for service connection not met4
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis3
- No nexus to service established3
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 sleep disturbance decisions
Granted
Private psychiatric evaluation found insomnia/sleep disorder to be significant and resulting from PTSD.; Insomnia/sleep disorder symptoms accompanied PTSD symptoms like nightmares and anxiety.; Insomnia/sleep disorder is due to service-connected PTSD.
New and relevant evidence submitted (September 2024 VA exam); Veteran diagnosed with insomnia disorder; Examiner found insomnia related to service-connected tinnitus; Examiner deemed competent and credible
Sleep disturbance reasonably raised by record.; Veteran reports sleep disruption due to leg cramps.; VA examiner noted impact on restful sleep.
Denied
Service treatment records silent regarding insomnia; No lay statements corroborating in-service issues; No evidence of symptoms during or shortly after service
No treatment records during appeal period.; VA examiner diagnosed insomnia with chronic sleep impairment.; Examiner concluded mild/transient symptoms affecting work efficiency only during significant stress or when controlled by medication.; Veteran reported positive social functioning and employment history.; Veteran reported occasional irritability due to fatigue but did not identify limitations meeting higher rating criteria.; Board found VA examiner's assessment highly probative.; Evidence did not show symptoms equating to higher rating criteria.
No current diagnosis of insomnia disorder.; Insomnia found to be a component of persistent depressive disorder.; Medical evidence persuasively shows insomnia is part of depressive disorder, not standalone.
Rules that apply to sleep disturbance 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 sleep disturbance 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 sleep disturbance 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.