Veterans Law Judge
Judge Caroline B. Fleming: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Caroline B. Fleming signed 5,915 Board decisions covering 11,664 condition issues. The judge granted 18.7% of those issues, denied 32.7% and remanded 45.2%. 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 close to the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
5,915
2017–2026
Issues decided
11,664
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
18.7%
Board, same conditions: 19.8%
Issues remanded
45.2%
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 | 963 | 16.1% | 17.3% | 48.9% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 630 | 30.2% | 19.4% | 30.2% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 567 | 29.1% | 28.9% | 36.0% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 465 | 43.9% | 39.6% | 14.8% | 22.8% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 442 | 16.7% | 20.7% | 43.0% | 46.1% |
| Hypertension | 406 | 16.5% | 17.2% | 45.3% | 48.8% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 361 | 23.8% | 26.2% | 47.9% | 50.3% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 327 | 18.0% | 18.7% | 43.7% | 48.1% |
| Shoulder impairment | 275 | 10.5% | 14.3% | 52.0% | 53.0% |
| Migraine | 258 | 26.7% | 30.2% | 42.6% | 42.2% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 235 | 17.9% | 20.6% | 46.0% | 51.7% |
| Hip impairment | 226 | 10.6% | 14.4% | 43.4% | 53.9% |
| Ankle impairment | 202 | 16.8% | 16.9% | 49.5% | 50.4% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 195 | 18.5% | 20.0% | 37.4% | 40.1% |
| Major depressive disorder | 172 | 31.4% | 34.6% | 29.7% | 34.2% |
Judge Caroline B. Fleming's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 570 | 19.1% | 45.6% | 51.2% |
| 2018 | 862 | 29.9% | 44.9% | 54.1% |
| 2019 | 868 | 29.1% | 43.4% | 55.6% |
| 2020 | 399 | 32.3% | 45.4% | 48.1% |
| 2021 | 693 | 37.7% | 40.1% | 46.6% |
| 2022 | 867 | 42.0% | 36.3% | 48.8% |
| 2023 | 869 | 39.8% | 37.2% | 48.8% |
| 2024 | 414 | 25.1% | 31.9% | 23.9% |
| 2025 | 239 | 1.3% | 65.3% | 2.9% |
| 2026 | 134 | 11.9% | 55.2% | 6.7% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Caroline B. Fleming's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established182
- In-service noise exposure conceded53
- Service connection established47
- Continuity of symptomatology since service41
- New and material evidence submitted to reopen claim24
- Caused by the service-connected disability22
- New and material evidence submitted17
- Service records negative or silent12
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim243
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service189
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis172
- No current diagnosis125
- Service records negative or silent83
- Current diagnosis established79
- No continuity of symptomatology37
- Already at the maximum schedular rating36
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 Caroline B. Fleming decisions
Granted
Current disability established by private dermatology records and VA examiner acknowledgment of hyperpigmentation.; Evidence in relative balance regarding current diagnosis.; Benefit of the doubt applied to establish current disability.
Reduction improper due to lack of sustained improvement; AOJ failed to meet burden under 38 C.F.R. § 3.344; Restoration of 40 percent rating warranted
Current diagnosis of right ankle strain favorably found by AOJ.; Qualifying in-service injury noted in STRs.; Veteran's lay testimony regarding in-service injury, pain, and instability is credible.; VA examiner opinions were given no probative weight due to failure to consider lay evidence and illegible STRs.; Evidence is at least evenly balanced, warranting benefit of the doubt.
Denied
Evidence submitted in supplemental claim focused on right breast, not left.; Evidence was not relevant to the left breast condition claim.; Service treatment records addressing bilateral nipple discharge were not new evidence.
Service treatment records negative for hip complaints, diagnosis, or treatment.; Veteran first reported hip condition in September 2020 claim.; Lay assertions regarding nexus to service or lumbar spine disability assigned no probative value due to lack of medical expertise.
Scar not painful or unstable; Scar area too small for compensable rating; Evidence persuasively weighs against a compensable rating
Research your Judge Caroline B. Fleming 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 (2017–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.