Veterans Law Judge
Judge B. D. Watson: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2023 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge B. D. Watson signed 2,962 Board decisions covering 5,981 condition issues. The judge granted 20.3% of those issues, denied 32.0% and remanded 45.4%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.3% and remanded 46.3%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is close to it.
Decisions
2,962
2023–2026
Issues decided
5,981
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
20.3%
Board, same conditions: 20.3%
Issues remanded
45.4%
Board, same conditions: 46.3%
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 | 423 | 18.9% | 17.3% | 50.6% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 287 | 16.7% | 19.5% | 28.2% | 34.6% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 256 | 30.1% | 26.2% | 46.5% | 50.4% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 240 | 33.3% | 28.9% | 35.0% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 213 | 29.6% | 39.6% | 23.9% | 22.7% |
| Hip impairment | 166 | 21.1% | 14.3% | 53.6% | 53.8% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 162 | 21.6% | 20.7% | 50.0% | 46.0% |
| Hypertension | 159 | 18.9% | 17.1% | 45.3% | 48.8% |
| Migraine | 150 | 29.3% | 30.2% | 39.3% | 42.2% |
| Shoulder impairment | 133 | 16.5% | 14.3% | 61.7% | 53.0% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 128 | 23.4% | 18.6% | 37.5% | 48.1% |
| Ankle impairment | 125 | 19.2% | 16.8% | 42.4% | 50.5% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 95 | 37.9% | 20.5% | 36.8% | 51.7% |
| Major depressive disorder | 89 | 32.6% | 34.6% | 32.6% | 34.2% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 77 | 14.3% | 20.0% | 37.7% | 40.1% |
Judge B. D. Watson's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 346 | 38.2% | 35.5% | 57.2% |
| 2024 | 933 | 31.8% | 37.3% | 50.9% |
| 2025 | 1,239 | 33.8% | 42.6% | 44.6% |
| 2026 | 444 | 36.5% | 35.4% | 46.2% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge B. D. Watson's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established126
- Service connection established40
- Caused by the service-connected disability25
- In-service noise exposure conceded15
- Continuity of symptomatology since service9
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service8
- Continuity of symptoms since service6
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability5
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis105
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service62
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis58
- Current diagnosis established54
- Service records negative or silent49
- Already at the maximum schedular rating25
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim20
- No continuity of symptomatology7
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 B. D. Watson decisions
Granted
Resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.; Causal relationship established between herbicide exposure and neuropathy.; Private medical opinion from Dr. J.C. found persuasive.
Veteran's testimony regarding ankle instability and pain found persuasive; January 2020 VA examination noted suspected bilateral ankle instability; Evidence sufficient to show current disability for service connection
Veteran meets schedular criteria for TDIU with a 60% disability and combined rating of 90% or more.; Private vocational opinion found Veteran unable to perform sedentary work due to combined physical and mental limitations.; Board found private vocational opinion more persuasive than VA exams regarding impact on employment.
Denied
No competent evidence of current disability; PA-C's opinion lacked nexus and specificity regarding diagnosis timing; No VA examination triggered due to lack of competent evidence
Evidence did not support a rating in excess of 40 percent under DC 5201.; Veteran's symptoms did not approach ankylosis or functional ankylosis.; Extraschedular consideration was not warranted as schedular standards adequately contemplated the disability.
No in-service complaints or treatment; Significant temporal gap post-service; No nexus opinion
Research your Judge B. D. Watson 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 (2023–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.