Secondary service connection
Erectile dysfunction secondary to PTSD: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2018 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided erectile dysfunction claimed as secondary to PTSD in 1,551 decisions. It granted the issue in 30.9% of them, above the 17.5% grant rate for all erectile dysfunction issues, denied it in 14.4%, and remanded it in 53.8%. Counting only decisions on the merits, 68.1% were granted.
Decisions
1,551
2018–2026
Granted
30.9%
All erectile dysfunction: 17.5%
Granted on the merits
68.1%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
53.8%
Denied: 14.4%
See all erectile dysfunction decisions, direct and secondary.
Erectile dysfunction secondary to PTSD: outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 142 | 25.4% | 19.7% | 52.8% |
| 2019 | 191 | 20.9% | 19.4% | 59.2% |
| 2020 | 183 | 28.4% | 15.8% | 55.2% |
| 2021 | 122 | 28.7% | 13.9% | 56.6% |
| 2022 | 162 | 32.7% | 11.1% | 54.9% |
| 2023 | 161 | 31.1% | 11.2% | 57.8% |
| 2024 | 227 | 32.6% | 12.3% | 54.6% |
| 2025 | 268 | 36.9% | 13.1% | 49.3% |
| 2026 | 95 | 42.1% | 14.7% | 40.0% |
Evidence in granted and denied erectile dysfunction decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the erectile dysfunction 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 | 373 | 92.5% | 50.5% | +42.1 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 83 | 91.8% | 66.4% | +25.5 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 243 | 86.7% | 61.8% | +24.9 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 464 | 79.6% | 60.3% | +19.4 pts |
| Buddy statement | 42 | 80.0% | 67.8% | +12.2 pts |
| Combat service | 204 | 73.0% | 67.2% | +5.7 pts |
| Lay statement | 1,146 | 64.9% | 79.0% | −14.1 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 77.9% of the decisions that granted erectile dysfunction.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 23.8% of grants and 11.6% 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 erectile dysfunction 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 | 1,009 | 67.7% | 69.2% | −1.5 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 1,248 | 66.4% | 77.6% | −11.1 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied erectile dysfunction
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established77
- Caused by the service-connected disability61
- Service connection established49
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability12
- Secondary to PTSD9
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service8
- Criteria for service connection met6
- Veteran diagnosed with erectile dysfunction6
Most common reasons in denials
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service38
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis30
- No current diagnosis26
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim19
- Service records negative or silent16
- Current diagnosis established12
- Service connection established5
- Continuity of symptomatology since service4
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 erectile dysfunction decisions
Granted
Veteran has current diagnosis of erectile dysfunction.; VA examiner opined erectile dysfunction is secondary to PTSD.; Examiner's opinion considered claims file and medical principles.; Negative nexus opinion for TERAs does not preclude secondary service connection for PTSD.
Veteran competent and credible to report symptoms; VA examiner's opinion unclear regarding nexus to PTSD; Board found but/for relationship met for secondary SC
Private medical opinion linked erectile dysfunction to PTSD and treatment.; Nexus established that it is at least as likely as not a result of PTSD.; Benefit of the doubt applied.
Denied
No current diagnosis of ED established; Veteran confirmed no formal diagnosis at hearing; Private opinion assumed diagnosis without confirmation
Evidence persuasively weighs against finding of erectile dysfunction with onset during service or relation to PTSD.; Criteria for service connection for erectile dysfunction not met.
No current diagnosis of erectile dysfunction reflected in VA or service treatment records.; VA examiner did not diagnose erectile dysfunction.; Veteran is competent to describe symptoms but not diagnose complex conditions.
Rules that apply to secondary erectile dysfunction claims
- 38 CFR 3.310
Secondary service connection and aggravation
Read it in VA Law Explorer - M21-1 V.ii.2.D
Secondary service connection and aggravation of non-service-connected disabilities
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.102
Reasonable doubt (benefit of the doubt)
Read it in VA Law Explorer
Research your erectile dysfunction case
Narrow by year, judge, evidence or secondary condition, read the decisions, and export a research memo.
How these numbers are calculated
- Counts decisions in which the Board decided a erectile dysfunction issue claimed as secondary to PTSD, by the outcome of that issue.
- The primary disability is read from the decision text ("secondary to …") and grouped by name, so spellings such as "PTSD" and "posttraumatic stress disorder" count together.
- Secondary claims also include aggravation of a non-service-connected condition by a service-connected one (38 CFR 3.310(b)).
- 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.