Veterans Law Judge
Judge D. Johnson: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge D. Johnson signed 8,784 Board decisions covering 16,983 condition issues. The judge granted 15.7% of those issues, denied 40.1% and remanded 41.6%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.3% and remanded 46.3%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
8,784
2017–2026
Issues decided
16,983
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
15.7%
Board, same conditions: 20.3%
Issues remanded
41.6%
Board, same conditions: 46.3%
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 | 1,215 | 15.6% | 17.3% | 43.1% | 51.2% |
| Hearing loss | 1,036 | 9.5% | 19.6% | 31.8% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 737 | 21.2% | 28.9% | 33.0% | 38.2% |
| Tinnitus | 676 | 26.5% | 39.7% | 20.6% | 22.8% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 664 | 15.2% | 20.7% | 41.7% | 46.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 634 | 22.4% | 26.3% | 46.2% | 50.4% |
| Hypertension | 530 | 9.8% | 17.2% | 43.4% | 48.8% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 490 | 15.1% | 18.7% | 43.3% | 48.1% |
| Migraine | 411 | 33.6% | 30.1% | 31.1% | 42.3% |
| Shoulder impairment | 410 | 10.2% | 14.4% | 45.1% | 53.1% |
| Hip impairment | 339 | 13.0% | 14.4% | 46.6% | 53.9% |
| Ankle impairment | 311 | 16.4% | 16.9% | 42.4% | 50.5% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 288 | 9.7% | 20.1% | 40.6% | 40.1% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 277 | 16.2% | 20.6% | 40.8% | 51.8% |
| Major depressive disorder | 236 | 30.1% | 34.7% | 30.5% | 34.2% |
Judge D. Johnson's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 531 | 19.6% | 52.2% | 50.8% |
| 2018 | 923 | 22.4% | 48.5% | 54.7% |
| 2019 | 946 | 24.5% | 50.3% | 55.6% |
| 2020 | 909 | 20.9% | 56.7% | 42.6% |
| 2021 | 890 | 19.2% | 57.4% | 43.9% |
| 2022 | 781 | 23.3% | 48.8% | 49.7% |
| 2023 | 1,045 | 26.0% | 45.6% | 46.2% |
| 2024 | 1,208 | 30.5% | 42.4% | 39.3% |
| 2025 | 1,135 | 35.1% | 47.6% | 36.0% |
| 2026 | 416 | 35.3% | 47.1% | 33.9% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge D. Johnson's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established145
- Caused by the service-connected disability52
- In-service noise exposure conceded43
- Service connection established38
- Continuity of symptomatology since service35
- Criteria for service connection met15
- Already at the maximum schedular rating14
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability14
Most common reasons in denials
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service385
- Service records negative or silent379
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim355
- No current diagnosis329
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis250
- Current diagnosis established97
- No continuity of symptomatology79
- Continuity of symptomatology since service65
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 D. Johnson decisions
Granted
Current diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, type II.; Private medical opinion found it more likely than not related to TERA.; Board found private opinion more persuasive than VA opinion.
Evidence in approximate balance regarding secondary connection to major depressive disorder.; VA examiner found erectile dysfunction less likely than not due to major depressive disorder, but noted it could be a cause.; Private physician opined psychiatric disorder was at least as likely as not the cause, despite lacking detailed rationale.; Board resolved doubt in Veteran's favor, granting service connection.
April 2021 supplemental claim remained unadjudicated until September 2024 rating decision.; Continuous pursuit of claim since May 31, 2019.; February 2024 VA examiner opined condition at least as likely as not incurred in or caused by service.; Symptoms manifested in service in Alaska.
Denied
No diagnosis of recurrent tinnitus.; Symptoms described as transient ear noise.; Evidence persuasively weighs against the claim.
Systolic readings not predominantly 160 or more; Historical diastolic readings not predominantly over 100; Evidence persuasively weighs against meeting criteria
No complaints or treatment for overactive bladder in service records.; Post-service records and VA examination were negative or inconsistent with claim.; Veteran's lay testimony found not credible due to internal inconsistencies.
Research your Judge D. Johnson 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.