Veterans Lose Supreme Court Battle Over ‘Benefit of the Doubt’ in Disability Claims

The Supreme Court, in a 7-2 ruling, determined that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is not obligated to extend the “benefit of the doubt” to veterans in disability claims when the evidence is equally balanced. 

The case centered on two veterans—Joshua Bufkin, a former Air Force member, and Norman Thornton, an Army veteran from the Gulf War—who faced denial of their claims despite the existence of conflicting medical opinions concerning their PTSD diagnoses.

The ruling affirmed earlier determinations by the VA, the Veterans Appeals Board, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, concluding that the claims had been appropriately assessed. 

Justice Clarence Thomas, representing the majority, indicated that VA determinations concerning the balance of evidence are primarily factual and should be overturned only in instances of clear error.

Dissenting Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Neil Gorsuch expressed their concerns regarding the ruling, cautioning that it would result in ongoing “rubber-stamping” of VA claim denials. The decision has raised alarms among veterans' advocates, who contend that it imposes an unreasonable obligation on service members to demonstrate their disabilities with absolute certainty.

The decision impacts numerous veterans who depend on the VA’s disability benefits and prompts inquiries regarding the evaluation of future claims.