Veterans Law Judge
Judge A.P. Armstrong: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2019 to 2022, Veterans Law Judge A.P. Armstrong signed 218 Board decisions covering 506 condition issues. The judge granted 16.2% of those issues, denied 23.7% and remanded 59.7%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.5% and remanded 46.9%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
218
2019–2022
Issues decided
506
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
16.2%
Board, same conditions: 19.5%
Issues remanded
59.7%
Board, same conditions: 46.9%
Judges do not choose their cases, and grant rates differ a lot by condition. “Board, same conditions” is what the rest of the Board decided for the same mix of conditions, so the comparison is fair to the judge's docket. This is not a ranking.
Conditions this judge decided most
Each row compares the judge's issues on one condition with the rest of the Board's issues on the same condition. Conditions with fewer than 20 of this judge's issues are left out, because a few decisions can swing the rate.
| Condition | Issues | Granted | Board granted | Remanded | Board remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knee impairment | 30 | 3.3% | 17.3% | 80.0% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 28 | 14.3% | 19.5% | 46.4% | 34.6% |
| Tinnitus | 21 | 57.1% | 39.6% | 23.8% | 22.7% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 20 | 25.0% | 28.9% | 45.0% | 38.1% |
Judge A.P. Armstrong's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 49 | 36.7% | 49.0% | 67.3% |
| 2020 | 78 | 33.3% | 39.7% | 67.9% |
| 2021 | 25 | 44.0% | 36.0% | 64.0% |
| 2022 | 66 | 28.8% | 22.7% | 66.7% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge A.P. Armstrong's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established14
- Service connection established3
- Continuity of symptomatology since service2
- Inadequate VA medical opinion2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim10
- Service records negative or silent5
- No current diagnosis5
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service3
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis3
- Already at the maximum schedular rating2
- Current diagnosis established2
- Congenital defects are not diseases or injuries for service connection1
Numbers are decisions that gave the reason. Reasons are short phrases extracted by AI from each decision; common wordings of the same reason are grouped. Benefit of the doubt is reported above.
Recent Judge A.P. Armstrong decisions
Granted
Favorable findings of current tinnitus and in-service noise exposure; Resolving doubt in Veteran's favor; Credible lay statements of continuity of symptoms; Inadequate VA medical opinion
Resolved doubt in Veteran's favor for 40% rating; Forward flexion limited to 30 degrees or less; Antalgic gait with forward flexion at waist to 30 degrees
Veteran's credible statements of continuous hearing loss symptoms since service.; Lack of hearing protection provided during military service.; Favorable private medical opinions attributing hearing loss to noise exposure.; VA examiners' opinions found less likely than not related to service.; Evidence weighed equally, applying benefit of the doubt.
Denied
Blood pressure readings did not meet criteria for 10% rating.; Hypertension did not manifest with diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more.; Veteran requires continuous medication but lacks history of predominantly 100 diastolic pressure.
Denied earlier effective date for left femoral nerve neuropathy.; Found mild impairment, not meeting criteria for higher rating.; Denied increased rating due to mild impairment and potential pyramiding.
Evidence does not show symptoms meeting 70% criteria (e.g., suicidal ideation, near-continuous panic/depression, illogical speech, spatial disorientation, inability to maintain relationships).; Veteran's functioning generally satisfactory in job, maintaining relationships with friends and children, consistent with 50% criteria.; Impulsivity noted but not to the degree of impaired impulse control required for 70% rating.
Research your Judge A.P. Armstrong case
Narrow by year, judge, evidence or secondary condition, read the decisions, and export a research memo.
How these numbers are calculated
- Issue rates count each condition the Board decided in a decision once, by the outcome of that issue. A decision can grant one issue and deny another.
- The yearly table counts decisions: a decision with a granted issue and a denied issue appears in both columns, so a row can add up to more than 100%.
- "Board, same conditions" weights the rest of the Board's grant and remand rate for each condition by how many of this judge's issues were on that condition. It does not adjust for evidence, hearing type or representation.
- Judges are identified from the signature on each decision. This page is a statistical summary, not an evaluation of any judge.
- The data comes from CaseScribe's AI extraction of public BVA decisions (2019–2022) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.