In a 7-2 ruling in *Bufkin v. Collins*, the U.S. Supreme Court held that federal appellate courts are not required to independently reassess how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) applies the “benefit-of-the-doubt” rule in disability claims.
This rule allows uncertainty to be resolved in the veteran’s favor when evidence is evenly balanced.
The case involved two veterans—Bufkin and Thornton—whose PTSD claims were denied despite closely balanced evidence.
The Court, led by Justice Clarence Thomas, stated that appellate courts should defer to the VA’s factual and medical judgments unless a clear error is shown.
Legal issues remain subject to full review, but factual determinations, including benefit-of-the-doubt assessments, are not. This decision raises the bar for veterans appealing VA decisions, requiring proof of significant error rather than just balanced evidence, while reinforcing the VA’s discretion in handling complex medical evaluations.
