A new Supreme Court decision has put a sharper focus on one of the most important stages in a veteran’s disability claim: the first review inside the Department of Veterans Affairs. In Bufkin v. Collins, the Court ruled 7-2 that federal appellate courts generally do not have to second-guess how the VA applied the “benefit-of-the-doubt” rule unless there is a clear and obvious mistake.
That may sound technical, but the practical effect is significant. When the evidence in a disability case is close or evenly balanced, the VA’s judgment will usually carry more weight on appeal. Courts are not expected to step in and reweigh the medical records from scratch simply because a veteran disagrees with the agency’s conclusion.
What the Court Decided
The case centered on how much review federal courts must give to the VA’s use of the benefit-of-the-doubt rule. That rule is meant to help veterans when the evidence for and against a claim is roughly equal.
The Supreme Court said appellate courts are not required to redo the VA’s weighing of the evidence unless the agency made a clear error. In other words, the VA remains the main decision-maker when it comes to comparing medical records, service history, and other evidence in disability claims.