Veterans Law Judge
Judge Ardie A. Bland: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2022 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Ardie A. Bland signed 2,822 Board decisions covering 6,032 condition issues. The judge granted 22.9% of those issues, denied 27.7% and remanded 47.5%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.8% and remanded 47.4%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is close to it.
Decisions
2,822
2022–2026
Issues decided
6,032
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
22.9%
Board, same conditions: 19.8%
Issues remanded
47.5%
Board, same conditions: 47.4%
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 | 433 | 23.3% | 17.2% | 52.2% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 281 | 16.7% | 19.5% | 32.4% | 34.6% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 255 | 29.8% | 26.2% | 54.9% | 50.3% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 234 | 36.8% | 28.9% | 32.5% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 223 | 45.3% | 39.6% | 17.5% | 22.8% |
| Hypertension | 195 | 23.6% | 17.1% | 44.6% | 48.8% |
| Migraine | 168 | 35.1% | 30.1% | 45.8% | 42.2% |
| Hip impairment | 162 | 18.5% | 14.3% | 50.0% | 53.8% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 160 | 18.8% | 20.7% | 52.5% | 46.0% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 152 | 19.1% | 18.7% | 53.3% | 48.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 136 | 19.1% | 14.3% | 52.2% | 53.0% |
| Ankle impairment | 113 | 15.0% | 16.9% | 49.6% | 50.4% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 96 | 27.1% | 19.9% | 39.6% | 40.1% |
| Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) | 87 | 24.1% | 19.3% | 50.6% | 52.9% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 84 | 45.2% | 20.5% | 34.5% | 51.7% |
Judge Ardie A. Bland's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 29 | 37.9% | 34.5% | 48.3% |
| 2023 | 608 | 28.3% | 34.4% | 59.5% |
| 2024 | 908 | 41.7% | 35.8% | 46.4% |
| 2025 | 948 | 41.8% | 36.3% | 46.6% |
| 2026 | 329 | 50.8% | 35.3% | 48.0% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Ardie A. Bland's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established146
- Service connection established44
- In-service noise exposure conceded29
- Caused by the service-connected disability21
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service12
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability10
- Continuity of symptomatology since service6
- Conceded herbicide exposure4
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis66
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service64
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis54
- Current diagnosis established43
- Already at the maximum schedular rating33
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim25
- Service records negative or silent23
- Persuasive evidence against claim8
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 Ardie A. Bland decisions
Granted
Current disability established by RO's favorable finding based on June 2021 private exam.; In-service event established by June 2021 private examiner's opinion that MDD began during active duty.; Nexus to service established by June 2021 private examiner's opinion linking MDD to active duty and chronic continuation to present.
Reduction improper due to lack of actual improvement; Single VA exam inadequate; Findings consistent with prior examinations
Current diagnosis of tension headaches established.; Veteran service-connected for sleep apnea.; Medical evidence in relative equipoise regarding nexus.; Benefit of the doubt applied in Veteran's favor.
Denied
No continuity of symptomology since service; VA examiner found less likely than not related to service; Persuasive evidence against service connection
No evidence of in-service manifestation or result; No manifestation within one year of separation
No current disability meeting VA criteria for hearing loss; Audiometric thresholds and CNC scores did not meet disability criteria; In-service noise exposure conceded, but no current disabling hearing loss
Research your Judge Ardie A. Bland 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 (2022–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.