Veterans Law Judge
Judge Cory M. Picton: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2022 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Cory M. Picton signed 3,117 Board decisions covering 5,114 condition issues. The judge granted 21.1% of those issues, denied 28.5% and remanded 49.0%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.2% and remanded 46.8%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
3,117
2022–2026
Issues decided
5,114
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
21.1%
Board, same conditions: 20.2%
Issues remanded
49.0%
Board, same conditions: 46.8%
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 | 352 | 19.9% | 17.3% | 50.0% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 259 | 20.1% | 19.5% | 31.7% | 34.6% |
| Tinnitus | 198 | 37.9% | 39.6% | 22.2% | 22.8% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 195 | 31.8% | 28.9% | 39.0% | 38.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 193 | 24.4% | 26.2% | 62.7% | 50.3% |
| Hypertension | 166 | 24.1% | 17.1% | 48.2% | 48.7% |
| Migraine | 149 | 24.8% | 30.2% | 52.3% | 42.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 136 | 23.5% | 20.6% | 52.9% | 46.0% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 126 | 20.6% | 18.6% | 54.0% | 48.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 101 | 15.8% | 14.3% | 57.4% | 53.0% |
| Hip impairment | 94 | 6.4% | 14.4% | 62.8% | 53.8% |
| Ankle impairment | 93 | 19.4% | 16.8% | 49.5% | 50.4% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 91 | 30.8% | 19.9% | 40.7% | 40.1% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 71 | 21.1% | 20.5% | 57.7% | 51.7% |
| Major depressive disorder | 70 | 30.0% | 34.6% | 42.9% | 34.2% |
Judge Cory M. Picton's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 317 | 29.0% | 25.9% | 62.1% |
| 2023 | 622 | 33.3% | 28.8% | 52.4% |
| 2024 | 865 | 29.8% | 22.7% | 42.7% |
| 2025 | 969 | 36.2% | 31.6% | 43.2% |
| 2026 | 344 | 40.1% | 32.3% | 44.2% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Cory M. Picton's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established127
- Service connection established35
- In-service noise exposure conceded25
- Caused by the service-connected disability20
- Holistic analysis of symptoms considered8
- Veteran's testimony credible8
- Continuity of symptomatology since service8
- No contrary opinion of record6
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis69
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service41
- Service records negative or silent38
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis35
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim34
- No continuity of symptomatology20
- Current diagnosis established18
- Already at the maximum schedular rating12
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 Cory M. Picton decisions
Granted
Veteran's increased rating claim raised the issue of SMC entitlement.; Evidence from May 2022 VA examination established need for regular aid and attendance.; Entitlement to SMC arose when evidence first supported award, prior to formal claim.
Veteran meets schedular criteria for TDIU (70% PTSD rating).; Service-connected PTSD symptoms preclude substantially gainful employment.; Evidence reflects functional impairments from PTSD impacting employment.
Intent to file received January 15, 2020; Completed claim received within one year of intent to file; Established earlier effective date
Denied
Symptoms prior to June 17, 2024, more closely approximated a 50 percent rating.; Symptoms since June 17, 2024, did not meet criteria for 100 percent rating.; VA examiner's opinion found more probative due to consistency and rationale.
DC 5227 and 5230 provide noncompensable ratings for ankylosis of the little finger.; Ankylosis does not equate to amputation or warrant a higher rating.; Weight of evidence against claim for compensable rating.
Persuasive evidence weighs against in-service injury or disease.; No relevant findings in service treatment records.; Normal separation examination findings.; Substantial gap between service separation and first documented symptoms.
Research your Judge Cory M. Picton 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 (2022–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.