Veterans Law Judge
Judge C. Trueba: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2023, Veterans Law Judge C. Trueba signed 2,262 Board decisions covering 4,422 condition issues. The judge granted 14.5% of those issues, denied 24.9% and remanded 57.1%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.8% and remanded 47.2%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
2,262
2017–2023
Issues decided
4,422
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
14.5%
Board, same conditions: 19.8%
Issues remanded
57.1%
Board, same conditions: 47.2%
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 | 353 | 9.1% | 17.3% | 62.9% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 293 | 14.7% | 19.5% | 44.7% | 34.6% |
| Tinnitus | 220 | 43.6% | 39.6% | 23.2% | 22.7% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 212 | 20.3% | 28.9% | 53.3% | 38.1% |
| Hypertension | 169 | 12.4% | 17.2% | 62.1% | 48.7% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 159 | 18.2% | 20.7% | 50.3% | 46.0% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 154 | 18.2% | 26.2% | 54.5% | 50.3% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 127 | 9.4% | 18.7% | 60.6% | 48.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 101 | 8.9% | 14.3% | 57.4% | 53.0% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 98 | 13.3% | 20.0% | 49.0% | 40.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 87 | 9.2% | 20.6% | 60.9% | 51.7% |
| Migraine | 78 | 21.8% | 30.2% | 50.0% | 42.2% |
| Major depressive disorder | 70 | 30.0% | 34.6% | 51.4% | 34.1% |
| Ankle impairment | 69 | 10.1% | 16.9% | 66.7% | 50.4% |
| Hip impairment | 66 | 7.6% | 14.4% | 75.8% | 53.8% |
Judge C. Trueba's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 174 | 13.8% | 39.1% | 36.2% |
| 2018 | 229 | 15.7% | 41.9% | 56.8% |
| 2019 | 923 | 27.8% | 33.0% | 62.4% |
| 2020 | 803 | 27.3% | 32.3% | 62.0% |
| 2021 | 114 | 24.6% | 33.3% | 59.6% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge C. Trueba's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established51
- Continuity of symptomatology since service16
- Service connection established12
- In-service noise exposure conceded12
- Caused by the service-connected disability8
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability8
- New and material evidence received6
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim5
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim145
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service56
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis52
- No current diagnosis40
- Service records negative or silent20
- Already at the maximum schedular rating15
- Current diagnosis established15
- No continuity of symptomatology13
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. Trueba decisions
Granted
Granted 30% rating for moderate incomplete paralysis (June 2018-June 2021); Evidence did not support higher rating for the period; Benefit of the doubt rule did not apply as evidence weighed against higher rating
Evidence in equipoise; Private psychologist opinion probative; Opinion linked condition to Vietnam service; Benefit of doubt resolved in Veteran's favor
Original rating under DC 5257 protected due to being in effect for over 20 years.; RO's change in DC and termination of instability rating was impermissible reduction.; Murray v. Shinseki precedent applied, distinguishing knee laxity/instability from loss of range of motion.
Denied
Evidence did not support ankylosis or higher functional loss; Veteran already in receipt of maximum schedular rating (10%); Benefit of the doubt rule did not apply as evidence weighed against higher rating
Evidence persuasively weighs against PTSD diagnosis; Negative/inconclusive VA PTSD screens; Private evaluations did not meet DSM-5 criteria; Benefit of the doubt doctrine not applicable
Evidence persuasively weighs against 100 percent rating.; Veteran's METs level limited by non-cardiac issues.; Ejection fraction generally within normal limits or higher than required for 100%.
Research your Judge C. Trueba 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 (2017–2023) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.