MOS and VA Disability Claims: What Our BVA Sample Shows
The intelligence and logistics categories differ by 10.2 percentage points in our sample. Small groups, missing labels and repeated decisions limit what that means.
Intelligence Brief
Clear guides, original reporting and a closer look at VA claims.
VA data
19 articles · All sections
VA Service Connection: Direct, Secondary, and Presumptive
Compare direct, secondary, presumptive, and aggravation theories. Map your actual records to the connection question your claim needs to answer.
Combat Status Helps Less Than You Think: 6.6 Points of Grant Rate Difference
Combat veterans grant at 37.2%, non-combat at 30.6%. The 6.6-point gap is real but smaller than the § 1154(b) talking points suggest. What it actually does.
Judge Variance at the BVA: 40 Points Apart on Similar Volume
Two high-volume BVA judges show a 40.6-point grant-rate spread. The corrected record and decision counts explain why the comparison needs context.
The Board's Quiet Shift: Grant Rates 2023 to 2025
The Board's grant rate went from 26.9% in 2023 to 30.4% in 2025. Denials up 7 points. Remands down 10. The Board is getting faster but slightly tougher.
Branch by Branch: A 12.6-Point Spread in BVA Grant Rates
Air Force veterans grant at 34.1% at the BVA. National Guard veterans at 21.5%. A 12.6-point spread across services that should follow the same statute.
VA OIG FY 2025 Report: What It Means for Your VA Claim
The VA Office of Inspector General's FY 2025 report identifies five major management challenges shaping how the VA handles your disability and health care claims. Here's a plain-English breakdown of what it covers and how it affects the way you build your evidence and appeals.
We Classified 16,800 BVA Denials, and here are the top 5 reasons.
When a claim gets denied at the Board of Veterans' Appeals, the decision letter gives a reason. Sometimes it's straightforward. Sometimes it reads like the Board is describing a completely different case than the one you filed. But across thousands of decision
TBI, Parkinson's vs Migraines: What the Board Treats Differently
When you think "neurological conditions," you might picture a single category where the VA evaluates claims in roughly the same way. Same body system, same general expertise required, similar outcomes. That's what I assumed before I started pulling the numbers
Why Are So Many Veterans Stuck at 90%? (And What the Data Shows About Breaking Through)
As of FY 2024, 621,930 veterans are rated at 90% disability.
Get Intelligence Brief by email.
One email per week with new guides, reports and VA updates. Unsubscribe anytime.