Veterans Law Judge
Judge Caroline Fleming: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2020 to 2025, Veterans Law Judge Caroline Fleming signed 366 Board decisions covering 858 condition issues. The judge granted 16.4% of those issues, denied 38.7% and remanded 43.6%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.8% and remanded 47.1%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
366
2020–2025
Issues decided
858
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
16.4%
Board, same conditions: 19.8%
Issues remanded
43.6%
Board, same conditions: 47.1%
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 | 77 | 23.4% | 17.3% | 36.4% | 51.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 38 | 15.8% | 20.7% | 44.7% | 46.1% |
| Hearing loss | 38 | 23.7% | 19.5% | 34.2% | 34.6% |
| Hypertension | 32 | 9.4% | 17.2% | 46.9% | 48.7% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 31 | 38.7% | 28.9% | 32.3% | 38.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 27 | 18.5% | 26.2% | 40.7% | 50.3% |
| Tinnitus | 23 | 47.8% | 39.6% | 30.4% | 22.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 23 | 8.7% | 18.7% | 34.8% | 48.0% |
Judge Caroline Fleming's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 324 | 31.2% | 49.4% | 51.5% |
| 2025 | 42 | 40.5% | 40.5% | 47.6% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Caroline Fleming's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established10
- Continuity of symptomatology since service3
- Symptoms approximated total occupational and social impairment2
- Holistic analysis of listed and unlisted symptoms2
- Criteria for service connection met2
- Caused by the service-connected disability2
- Occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas2
- In-service noise exposure conceded2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim29
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis16
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service16
- Service records negative or silent7
- No current diagnosis6
- Current diagnosis established4
- No competent medical evidence of nexus to service3
- No continuity of symptomatology3
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 Fleming decisions
Granted
August 2014 VA examiner found extension limited to 10 degrees with pain.; Consistent reports of symptomatology throughout the appeal period support the finding.
Symptoms more nearly approximated 70% rating criteria; Symptoms did not reach 100% rating level; Holistic analysis of listed and unlisted symptoms
Current disability of right ear hearing loss documented; In-service exposure to hazardous noise from Hawk missile radar equipment; Continuity of symptomatology since service; Veteran's lay statements are credible and consistent
Denied
No current diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome.; VA examiners attributed fatigue to other conditions/medications.; Lack of competent medical evidence for diagnosis.
Board found Veteran's reports of constant swelling sufficient for effusion, resolving doubt in Veteran's favor.; Board found evidence persuasively weighs against finding a rating in excess of 20 percent for frequent episodes of locking, pain, and effusion under DC 5258.
Veteran's service records confirm service in Korea, but not DMZ service or herbicide exposure.; VA's attempts to verify exposure through record requests and researcher review were unsuccessful.; Veteran's lay statements, while credible regarding belief of exposure, lacked probative weight without corroboration.
Research your Judge Caroline 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 (2020–2025) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.