Veterans Law Judge
Judge A. S. Caracciolo: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge A. S. Caracciolo signed 7,283 Board decisions covering 13,769 condition issues. The judge granted 23.5% of those issues, denied 20.6% and remanded 52.9%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.5% and remanded 47.6%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
7,283
2017–2026
Issues decided
13,769
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
23.5%
Board, same conditions: 19.5%
Issues remanded
52.9%
Board, same conditions: 47.6%
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 | 1,115 | 22.6% | 17.2% | 59.5% | 51.0% |
| Hearing loss | 740 | 20.8% | 19.5% | 43.4% | 34.5% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 673 | 37.1% | 28.8% | 38.5% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 501 | 55.5% | 39.5% | 17.6% | 22.8% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 482 | 23.7% | 20.6% | 56.6% | 46.0% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 461 | 31.2% | 26.2% | 55.5% | 50.3% |
| Hypertension | 443 | 21.9% | 17.1% | 49.4% | 48.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 354 | 25.1% | 18.6% | 50.6% | 48.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 311 | 15.4% | 14.3% | 65.0% | 52.9% |
| Hip impairment | 292 | 18.5% | 14.3% | 61.3% | 53.7% |
| Migraine | 281 | 38.8% | 30.1% | 43.1% | 42.2% |
| Ankle impairment | 236 | 22.0% | 16.8% | 59.7% | 50.4% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 222 | 25.2% | 19.9% | 41.0% | 40.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 208 | 35.1% | 20.5% | 50.5% | 51.7% |
| Major depressive disorder | 193 | 43.0% | 34.5% | 34.2% | 34.2% |
Judge A. S. Caracciolo's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 598 | 29.1% | 29.1% | 59.2% |
| 2018 | 924 | 37.3% | 28.7% | 56.7% |
| 2019 | 619 | 33.9% | 35.5% | 65.4% |
| 2020 | 931 | 36.5% | 30.5% | 58.9% |
| 2021 | 829 | 34.0% | 26.2% | 55.2% |
| 2022 | 650 | 37.7% | 25.1% | 59.2% |
| 2023 | 713 | 40.0% | 30.2% | 55.5% |
| 2024 | 736 | 44.0% | 27.7% | 47.8% |
| 2025 | 952 | 44.6% | 33.5% | 45.4% |
| 2026 | 331 | 49.2% | 29.3% | 44.1% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge A. S. Caracciolo's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established480
- Service connection established137
- Continuity of symptomatology since service64
- In-service noise exposure conceded60
- Caused by the service-connected disability42
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service20
- Conflicting medical opinions on nexus18
- Criteria for service connection met14
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim211
- No current diagnosis128
- Current diagnosis established102
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service100
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis89
- Service records negative or silent61
- Already at the maximum schedular rating59
- No new and material evidence submitted11
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. S. Caracciolo decisions
Granted
AL amyloidosis is a presumptive disease associated with herbicide exposure.; VA conceded Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents.; Death certificate lists AL amyloidosis as significant contributing condition.
Current psychiatric disorder diagnosed by VA examiner and private clinician.; In-service stressors, including MST, corroborated by behavioral markers and private medical opinion.; Veteran's testimony found credible and consistent.; Evidence in approximate equipoise, doubt resolved in Veteran's favor.
Symptoms approximated 70% criteria; Suicidal ideation present; Occupational/social impairment noted
Denied
No current diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.; Sleep impairment considered manifestation of service-connected persistent depressive disorder.; Symptoms adequately compensated by existing psychiatric rating.
No complaints or treatment for hair loss in medical records; No diagnosed underlying condition causing hair loss; Patterned hair loss not a disability for VA purposes; No evidence of functional impairment of earning capacity
Denied increased rating for chronic urticaria; Evidence showed condition controlled with first- and second-line treatments; No indication of refractory urticaria requiring third-line treatments
Research your Judge A. S. Caracciolo 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.