Veterans Law Judge
Judge A. P. Simpson: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge A. P. Simpson signed 7,865 Board decisions covering 13,548 condition issues. The judge granted 4.8% of those issues, denied 61.8% and remanded 31.3%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.7% and remanded 45.6%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
7,865
2017–2026
Issues decided
13,548
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
4.8%
Board, same conditions: 20.7%
Issues remanded
31.3%
Board, same conditions: 45.6%
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 | 1,111 | 4.4% | 17.4% | 30.0% | 51.3% |
| Hearing loss | 797 | 6.5% | 19.6% | 22.0% | 34.7% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 709 | 4.8% | 29.1% | 30.5% | 38.2% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 660 | 2.7% | 20.8% | 26.8% | 46.3% |
| Tinnitus | 630 | 7.0% | 39.9% | 23.5% | 22.7% |
| Hypertension | 413 | 6.3% | 17.2% | 36.1% | 48.8% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 389 | 0.8% | 26.4% | 33.4% | 50.4% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 339 | 3.2% | 18.8% | 26.0% | 48.2% |
| Migraine | 324 | 4.3% | 30.4% | 29.9% | 42.3% |
| Hip impairment | 319 | 1.3% | 14.5% | 32.0% | 54.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 293 | 1.7% | 14.4% | 26.3% | 53.2% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 257 | 5.4% | 20.1% | 30.7% | 40.1% |
| Ankle impairment | 246 | 4.5% | 16.9% | 26.0% | 50.6% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 238 | 5.9% | 20.6% | 40.3% | 51.8% |
| Major depressive disorder | 181 | 4.4% | 34.8% | 23.8% | 34.3% |
Judge A. P. Simpson's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 731 | 10.0% | 66.5% | 34.3% |
| 2018 | 1,002 | 10.1% | 68.6% | 35.4% |
| 2019 | 867 | 9.0% | 63.2% | 37.6% |
| 2020 | 809 | 6.9% | 68.6% | 31.8% |
| 2021 | 877 | 11.5% | 62.9% | 30.1% |
| 2022 | 646 | 8.8% | 56.5% | 41.5% |
| 2023 | 690 | 11.2% | 55.9% | 36.8% |
| 2024 | 881 | 8.6% | 58.8% | 34.5% |
| 2025 | 987 | 8.7% | 68.3% | 27.2% |
| 2026 | 375 | 7.2% | 57.6% | 25.1% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge A. P. Simpson's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established50
- Caused by the service-connected disability13
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim11
- Service connection established9
- In-service noise exposure conceded6
- Criteria for service connection met5
- Already at the maximum schedular rating4
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim942
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis401
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service377
- Service records negative or silent153
- Current diagnosis established149
- No current diagnosis137
- Evidence persuasively weighs against nexus to service38
- Evidence persuasively weighs against increased rating37
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. Simpson decisions
Granted
Intent to file submitted August 14, 2020; Formal claim submitted within one year; Duty to assist error in prior examination
Benefit of the doubt afforded; Headaches manifested in very frequent attacks; Severe economic inadaptability by January 30, 2019
VA failed to meet burden of proof for reduction; No sustained improvement in functional ability; Evidence did not support reduction
Denied
Flexion limitation did not meet criteria for compensable rating; Already received 10% rating for painful extension under different DC; Avoidance of pyramiding
VA treatment records and examinations from October 2020, April 2021, and July 2022 were found most probative.; Evidence did not consistently support severe symptoms with malnutrition and numerous attacks.; October 2020 and April 2021 VA examiners found no weight loss or malnutrition.; September 2022 VA review of systems was negative for fatigue, fever, sweats, chills, and unexplained weight changes.
No in-service incurrence of disease or injury; No manifestation within one year of discharge; Not related to service or caused/aggravated by service-connected disabilities
Research your Judge A. P. Simpson 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 (2017–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.