Veterans Law Judge
Judge Christopher A. Wendell: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2019 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Christopher A. Wendell signed 1,620 Board decisions covering 3,113 condition issues. The judge granted 15.8% of those issues, denied 28.7% and remanded 52.9%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.5% and remanded 47.6%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
1,620
2019–2026
Issues decided
3,113
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
15.8%
Board, same conditions: 19.5%
Issues remanded
52.9%
Board, same conditions: 47.6%
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 | 211 | 13.7% | 17.3% | 57.8% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 183 | 12.0% | 19.5% | 30.1% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 137 | 30.7% | 28.9% | 40.1% | 38.1% |
| Hypertension | 121 | 21.5% | 17.1% | 59.5% | 48.7% |
| Tinnitus | 119 | 29.4% | 39.6% | 25.2% | 22.7% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 94 | 17.0% | 20.7% | 44.7% | 46.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 91 | 12.1% | 26.2% | 60.4% | 50.3% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 76 | 11.8% | 18.7% | 53.9% | 48.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 75 | 26.7% | 20.5% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Migraine | 72 | 19.4% | 30.2% | 61.1% | 42.1% |
| Shoulder impairment | 70 | 14.3% | 14.3% | 55.7% | 53.0% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 59 | 15.3% | 20.0% | 45.8% | 40.0% |
| Ankle impairment | 52 | 7.7% | 16.9% | 57.7% | 50.4% |
| Major depressive disorder | 51 | 37.3% | 34.6% | 27.5% | 34.2% |
| Hip impairment | 46 | 10.9% | 14.3% | 60.9% | 53.8% |
Judge Christopher A. Wendell's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 66 | 19.7% | 43.9% | 56.1% |
| 2020 | 53 | 17.0% | 62.3% | 60.4% |
| 2021 | 212 | 17.9% | 48.6% | 62.3% |
| 2022 | 139 | 23.7% | 38.1% | 51.1% |
| 2023 | 363 | 33.1% | 32.2% | 58.7% |
| 2024 | 545 | 25.3% | 39.4% | 51.0% |
| 2025 | 141 | 33.3% | 55.3% | 46.1% |
| 2026 | 101 | 37.6% | 26.7% | 44.6% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Christopher A. Wendell's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established38
- Service connection established13
- Caused by the service-connected disability10
- Continuity of symptomatology since service8
- In-service noise exposure conceded8
- Symptoms approximated 70% criteria2
- Veteran's symptoms did not improve2
- Pact act presumption for hypertension2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim58
- No current diagnosis39
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service39
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis32
- Current diagnosis established21
- Service records negative or silent20
- Already at the maximum schedular rating16
- Evidence did not meet criteria for higher rating5
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 Christopher A. Wendell decisions
Granted
Conceded current diagnosis of AS; Conceded in-service foot and ankle pain as qualifying event; Positive treating physician opinion linking in-service pain to AS; VA opinion less probative as it did not consider in-service pain
New and relevant evidence submitted (Nexus letter, attorney brief raising secondary theory); In-service symptoms of snoring, fatigue, insomnia, and upper respiratory infections noted; Lay statements from spouse and fellow service member corroborate snoring/loud sleeping; Medical principle that sleep apnea progresses over time, not spontaneous onset; Proximity of post-service treatment for sleep apnea; Benefit of the doubt applied due to approximate balance of evidence
Veteran's symptoms did not improve; Met criteria for 70 percent rating; Benefit of the doubt applied
Denied
Loss of masticatory surface less than 25 percent and replaceable by prosthesis.; Non-service-connected gum disease and other teeth disabilities contributed to limitations.; Evidence weighs against claim for compensable rating.
Prior claim for sleep apnea became final after September 2021 denial and no appeal.; Current claim for earlier effective date received December 2022.; Governing law (38 U.S.C. § 5110(a)) states effective date cannot be earlier than receipt of application.
STRs do not show in-service complaints or diagnosis.; 2013 VA exam showed normal evaluations.; January 2025 VA exam found clinically normal hearing acuity, no diagnosis of hearing loss.
Research your Judge Christopher A. Wendell 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 (2019–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.