BVA decisions by condition
Valvular heart disease (including rheumatic heart disease): BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a valvular heart disease (including rheumatic heart disease) issue in 1,505 decisions. It granted the valvular heart disease (including rheumatic heart disease) issue in 13.6% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 26.8%, and remanded it in 58.1%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 33.6% were granted.
Decisions
1,505
2017–2026
Granted
13.6%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
33.6%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
58.1%
Denied: 26.8%
Valvular heart disease (including rheumatic heart disease) outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 108 | 10.2% | 38.0% | 44.4% |
| 2018 | 194 | 7.2% | 35.1% | 55.7% |
| 2019 | 195 | 8.7% | 32.8% | 57.4% |
| 2020 | 159 | 11.3% | 27.0% | 60.4% |
| 2021 | 168 | 8.3% | 21.4% | 69.0% |
| 2022 | 141 | 14.9% | 24.8% | 58.9% |
| 2023 | 158 | 13.3% | 19.0% | 65.8% |
| 2024 | 143 | 18.2% | 19.6% | 60.1% |
| 2025 | 170 | 24.1% | 23.5% | 54.1% |
| 2026 | 69 | 30.4% | 26.1% | 42.0% |
Evidence in granted and denied valvular heart disease (including rheumatic heart disease) decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the valvular heart disease (including rheumatic heart 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 | 215 | 70.9% | 22.3% | +48.6 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 164 | 63.0% | 26.4% | +36.6 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 400 | 48.0% | 29.8% | +18.2 pts |
| Combat service | 74 | 50.0% | 32.8% | +17.2 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 73 | 47.4% | 32.7% | +14.7 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 479 | 39.0% | 29.9% | +9.1 pts |
| Lay statement | 1,028 | 27.6% | 53.6% | −25.9 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 67.6% of the decisions that granted valvular heart disease (including rheumatic heart disease).
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 21.6% of grants and 12.4% 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 valvular heart disease (including rheumatic heart 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Negative nexus opinion | 825 | 29.1% | 41.3% | −12.3 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 1,122 | 31.9% | 44.4% | −12.5 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied valvular heart disease (including rheumatic heart disease)
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established21
- Caused by the service-connected disability14
- Service connection established6
- Presumption of soundness not rebutted4
- No contrary opinion of record3
- February 2020 VA examiner attributed etiology to lvh2
- No contrary opinions of record2
- New and material evidence submitted2
Most common reasons in denials
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service46
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim45
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis38
- No current diagnosis24
- Service records negative or silent20
- Current diagnosis established17
- No continuity of symptomatology12
- No new and material evidence submitted4
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 valvular heart disease (including rheumatic heart disease) decisions
Granted
Congenital heart condition diagnosed; Progressed at abnormally high rate due to aggravation in service; Private medical opinion found aggravation more likely than not
Private opinion found heart disorder secondary to PTSD; No contrary opinions of record; Doubt resolved in Veteran's favor
Diagnosis of diastolic dysfunction; In-service chest pain noted; Private medical opinion linking to service; Benefit of the doubt applied
Denied
Symptoms experienced at 3-5 METs; No medical opinion supporting higher rating; Symptoms do not meet criteria for 100% rating
No nexus between heart disorder and TERA; VA examiner opined less likely than not caused by TERA; No medical literature links TERA to CAD or VHD; Known risk factors outweigh TERA; No continuity of symptomatology; Condition did not manifest within one year of separation
No in-service injury, disease, or event; No chronic symptoms in service; No continuity of symptoms post-service; Secondary to hypertension denied due to lack of primary SC; VA opinion found related to hypertension
Rules that apply to valvular heart disease (including rheumatic heart 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 valvular heart disease (including rheumatic heart 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 valvular heart disease (including rheumatic heart 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.