Board Decision Lookup › Anemia / blood disorder
How the Board ruled on anemia and blood disorder claims, 2021–2025
How the Board of Veterans' Appeals ruled on anemia and blood disorder service-connection claims in 2021–2025, for every theory and secondary pairing we publish. Board-appealed cases only, counted per claim. Last updated October 4, 2026.
These are past Board decisions, not a prediction for any individual case, and not legal advice. The percentage is among DECIDED cases; cases sent back to VA (remanded) are counted separately.
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Anemia / blood disorder (direct service connection)
Direct (began in or was caused by service), or theory not stated in the Board order
28.2% granted of 209 decided cases (margin of error 22.6–34.7%). 59 granted, 150 denied, 293 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 50 dismissed.
What convinced the Board in granted cases
- Negative VA opinions lost weight when they were conclusory, ignored the private opinion, the veteran's credible report, in-service blood findings, or later anemia diagnoses. (6 of 11 decisions read; e.g. A25012668, 23053741, 21065065)
- The Board favored thorough private or treating physicians' opinions that reviewed the records and addressed the veteran's own risk factors, such as exposures or smoking history. (5 of 11 decisions read; e.g. A25014574, 21046785, A25012668)
- Some grants rested on records showing anemia treated in service and again after, with no other cause shown in between. (2 of 11 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 23016504, A24045496)
Common reasons in denied cases
- The Board denied most often because no medical evidence linked the blood disorder to service, and the veteran's own belief about the cause was not competent medical evidence. (7 of 12 decisions read; e.g. A21011773, A21006356, 22048931)
- Service records showed no blood disorder, and it first appeared many years or decades after service. (4 of 12 decisions read; e.g. 22048931, 21004233, A23018262)
- Some claims failed because testing showed no current anemia or no diagnosis of the claimed blood disease. (2 of 12 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 22037342, A23022408)
Anemia / blood disorder secondary to any service-connected condition
Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)
48.9% granted of 47 decided cases (margin of error 35.3–62.8%). 23 granted, 24 denied, 81 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 0 dismissed.
What convinced the Board in granted cases
- The Board granted when a medical opinion explained how the service-connected condition, such as kidney disease, a blood cancer, or a bowel disease, caused the anemia, often with no opinion to the contrary. (9 of 14 decisions read; e.g. 22035045, A23006216, A25013640)
- A negative VA opinion lost weight when it failed to discuss relevant records, such as in-service anemia symptoms or medication risks noted by the treating clinician. (2 of 14 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. A25026710, 22016198)
- Private physician opinions carried weight when they reviewed the record and gave a reasoned explanation backed by medical sources. (2 of 14 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 21045473, A22001157)
Common reasons in denied cases
- A reasoned VA opinion, not rebutted, found another cause, such as B12 deficiency, iron deficiency, or intestinal bleeding, rather than the service-connected condition. (4 of 12 decisions read; e.g. 22060600, 21069165, 22042351)
- No competent medical opinion linked the anemia to a service-connected condition; the veteran's own belief about cause was not competent medical evidence. (4 of 12 decisions read; e.g. A25028405, 21041517, A25007671)
- The veteran had no current anemia during the appeal, or past anemia had resolved. (4 of 12 decisions read; e.g. A22015886, 22022046, 23053599)
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Other conditions
- Alcohol or substance use disorder
- Anemia / blood disorder
- Ankle
- Arm / upper extremity
- Arthritis
- Asthma / COPD / lung condition
- Bladder / urinary condition
- Chronic fatigue
- Dental / jaw
- Depression / psychiatric disorder
- Diabetes
- Elbow
- Erectile dysfunction
- Eye / vision
- Fibromyalgia
- Foot (flat feet / plantar fasciitis)
- GERD / acid reflux
- Hand / fingers
- Hearing loss
- Heart disease
- Hemorrhoids
- Hepatitis / liver
- Hernia
- Hip
- Hypertension
- Insomnia / sleep disorder
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Kidney disease
- Knee
- Low back (lumbar spine)
- Lower leg (incl. shin splints)
- Memory loss / cognitive
- Migraine / headaches
- Neck (cervical spine)
- Parkinson's disease
- Prostate (non-cancer)
- Prostate cancer
- PTSD
- Radiculopathy / peripheral neuropathy
- Sarcoidosis / pulmonary fibrosis
- Seizure disorder
- Shoulder
- Sinusitis / rhinitis
- Skin condition
- Sleep apnea
- Stroke
- Thyroid
- Tinnitus
- Vertigo / dizziness
- Wrist
Percentages are shown only for combinations with at least 30 decided cases (granted + denied). Named secondary pairings with 10–29 decided cases are listed as "small sample" with counts only. "ANY service-connected condition (all combined)" pools every secondary claim for that condition. Other combinations exist, but there are too few decided cases to report. Each claim is counted by the Board's ruling on that specific claim (a decision covering several issues is split by issue). Remanded = sent back to VA for more work, not decided. "What convinced the Board" summarizes a reading of up to 25 granted and 25 denied Board decisions for each claim type, with the decision numbers shown so any point can be checked. Board-appealed cases only, not regional-office decisions. Information only, not legal advice. Flat Rate Nexus is a private medical practice, not affiliated with the VA.
Source: Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions, 2021–2025. Last updated October 4, 2026. flatratenexus.com · Privacy · Terms