Veterans Law Judge
Judge A. Yaffe: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2021 to 2023, Veterans Law Judge A. Yaffe signed 391 Board decisions covering 799 condition issues. The judge granted 17.0% of those issues, denied 30.7% and remanded 50.4%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.3% and remanded 46.5%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
391
2021–2023
Issues decided
799
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
17.0%
Board, same conditions: 19.3%
Issues remanded
50.4%
Board, same conditions: 46.5%
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 | 62 | 9.7% | 17.3% | 45.2% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 44 | 15.9% | 19.5% | 27.3% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 41 | 26.8% | 28.9% | 46.3% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 31 | 22.6% | 20.7% | 38.7% | 46.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 27 | 22.2% | 26.2% | 51.9% | 50.3% |
| Shoulder impairment | 27 | 11.1% | 14.3% | 59.3% | 53.0% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 24 | 4.2% | 18.7% | 66.7% | 48.0% |
| Hypertension | 20 | 40.0% | 17.1% | 30.0% | 48.7% |
Judge A. Yaffe's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 114 | 33.3% | 57.9% | 54.4% |
| 2022 | 273 | 31.5% | 37.0% | 60.1% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge A. Yaffe's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established12
- Service connection established5
- Resolution of doubt in veteran's favor3
- Intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living2
- Service records negative or silent2
- In-service noise exposure conceded2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim13
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service11
- No current diagnosis10
- Service records negative or silent8
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis8
- Already at the maximum schedular rating2
- Audiometric results did not meet criteria for compensable rating2
- Symptoms did not meet criteria for 70% rating2
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. Yaffe decisions
Granted
Total occupational and social impairment documented; Symptoms include suicidal ideation, social isolation, chronic sleep impairment; Difficulty establishing/maintaining relationships and adapting to stress; Intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living
April 2014 VA exam supported 30% rating; Later VA exams inconsistent/inadequate; Frequent non-incapacitating episodes with headaches noted; Pyramiding concerns with migraine evaluation
Symptoms approximated 70% rating criteria; Suicidal ideation; Memory impairment; Difficulty maintaining relationships; Difficulty adapting to stress
Denied
Evidence did not show flexion limited to 30 degrees or less.; No evidence of ankylosis or limitation approximating ankylosis.; Veteran received maximum evaluation for limitation of motion after September 18, 2020.
February 2014, June 2017, September 2018, August 2020 VA exams showed mild symptoms; No constant pain, intermittent pain, muscle atrophy, or trophic changes noted in earlier exams; Normal muscle strength and sensory examinations
No current diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome.; Fatigue resolved with treatment of sleep apnea.; Fatigue is a symptom of sleep apnea, not a separate disability (pyramiding).; Layperson not competent to diagnose or determine etiology.
Research your Judge A. Yaffe 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 (2021–2023) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.