Veterans Law Judge
Judge C.A. Skow: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2018 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge C.A. Skow signed 6,290 Board decisions covering 10,085 condition issues. The judge granted 5.9% of those issues, denied 28.3% and remanded 62.7%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.0% and remanded 46.9%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
6,290
2018–2026
Issues decided
10,085
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
5.9%
Board, same conditions: 20.0%
Issues remanded
62.7%
Board, same conditions: 46.9%
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 | 884 | 4.1% | 17.3% | 68.3% | 51.0% |
| Hearing loss | 675 | 4.6% | 19.6% | 51.3% | 34.5% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 450 | 7.6% | 29.0% | 56.9% | 38.0% |
| Tinnitus | 426 | 12.2% | 39.8% | 44.1% | 22.6% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 380 | 3.9% | 26.4% | 74.5% | 50.2% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 331 | 3.3% | 20.7% | 73.1% | 45.9% |
| Hypertension | 292 | 6.2% | 17.2% | 59.2% | 48.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 251 | 3.6% | 18.7% | 68.1% | 47.9% |
| Shoulder impairment | 237 | 3.4% | 14.4% | 60.8% | 53.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 220 | 8.2% | 20.6% | 73.2% | 51.6% |
| Migraine | 211 | 9.5% | 30.3% | 64.9% | 42.1% |
| Ankle impairment | 203 | 5.9% | 16.9% | 68.0% | 50.3% |
| Hip impairment | 185 | 4.9% | 14.4% | 73.0% | 53.7% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 182 | 12.6% | 20.0% | 48.9% | 40.0% |
| Cervical spine limitation of motion | 143 | 0.7% | 13.2% | 77.6% | 58.2% |
Judge C.A. Skow's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 241 | 25.3% | 55.2% | 62.2% |
| 2019 | 915 | 9.0% | 48.9% | 57.8% |
| 2020 | 895 | 7.7% | 31.6% | 66.0% |
| 2021 | 871 | 11.7% | 26.9% | 64.9% |
| 2022 | 747 | 9.9% | 36.7% | 58.4% |
| 2023 | 638 | 12.4% | 36.5% | 59.1% |
| 2024 | 674 | 10.4% | 35.2% | 51.8% |
| 2025 | 971 | 10.5% | 41.8% | 51.3% |
| 2026 | 338 | 8.3% | 47.3% | 47.3% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge C.A. Skow's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established67
- Service connection established16
- Caused by the service-connected disability12
- In-service noise exposure conceded10
- Already at the maximum schedular rating9
- Criteria for service connection met7
- New and material evidence submitted to reopen claim5
- Onset during active service5
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim380
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis164
- No current diagnosis106
- Service records negative or silent66
- No continuity of symptomatology49
- Already at the maximum schedular rating43
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service31
- No new and material evidence submitted to reopen claim27
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 C.A. Skow decisions
Granted
Favorable findings by AOJ for diagnosis and in-service event; VA examiner opined condition at least as likely as not related to service; Supported by treatment records linking in-service incidents to current symptoms; Veteran's testimony found competent to report medical professional's opinion
Severance was retroactive to initial grant date without fraud; AOJ failed to follow procedural safeguards under 38 C.F.R. § 3.105(d); Board did not rule on merits of severance, only procedural failure
Continuous pursuit of claim established from October 20, 2022.; Entitlement arose prior to claim date based on VA treatment records and favorable VA medical opinion.; Effective date of October 20, 2022, is the later of claim date and entitlement arose date.
Denied
Symptoms do not more closely approximate criteria for 70% rating.; Evidence does not show inability to establish and maintain effective relationships causing deficiencies in most areas.; Veteran's symptoms do not reflect total occupational or social impairment.
Criteria for compensable rating not met; Scar measures 1cm x 1cm; Scar not painful, unstable, or causing functional impairment
Evidence prior to March 6, 2023, did not meet criteria for compensable rating.; Treatment prior to March 6, 2023, did not involve systemic therapy required for higher rating.; PFB evaluated under DC 7813, General Rating Formula for the Skin.
Research your Judge C.A. Skow 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 (2018–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.