Veterans Law Judge
Judge D. Martz Ames: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge D. Martz Ames signed 8,735 Board decisions covering 17,834 condition issues. The judge granted 25.4% of those issues, denied 28.5% and remanded 43.2%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.7% and remanded 47.2%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
8,735
2017–2026
Issues decided
17,834
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
25.4%
Board, same conditions: 19.7%
Issues remanded
43.2%
Board, same conditions: 47.2%
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 | 1,417 | 24.3% | 17.2% | 43.6% | 51.2% |
| Hearing loss | 1,000 | 26.0% | 19.4% | 30.4% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 792 | 36.7% | 28.8% | 30.8% | 38.2% |
| Tinnitus | 670 | 48.5% | 39.5% | 17.9% | 22.8% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 581 | 33.7% | 26.2% | 45.1% | 50.4% |
| Hypertension | 532 | 21.2% | 17.1% | 44.7% | 48.8% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 503 | 25.8% | 20.6% | 39.0% | 46.1% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 498 | 21.9% | 18.6% | 45.0% | 48.1% |
| Ankle impairment | 373 | 21.7% | 16.8% | 48.8% | 50.4% |
| Shoulder impairment | 372 | 22.8% | 14.2% | 48.9% | 53.1% |
| Migraine | 358 | 33.5% | 30.1% | 40.8% | 42.2% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 314 | 26.1% | 20.5% | 43.0% | 51.8% |
| Hip impairment | 300 | 19.3% | 14.3% | 51.7% | 53.8% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 293 | 28.7% | 19.9% | 28.7% | 40.2% |
| Cervical spine limitation of motion | 237 | 18.6% | 13.1% | 54.9% | 58.4% |
Judge D. Martz Ames's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 665 | 20.0% | 53.8% | 43.9% |
| 2018 | 1,031 | 37.1% | 46.0% | 49.0% |
| 2019 | 1,100 | 42.1% | 40.7% | 54.6% |
| 2020 | 1,010 | 41.1% | 43.8% | 48.1% |
| 2021 | 976 | 37.6% | 34.8% | 52.9% |
| 2022 | 836 | 44.6% | 32.9% | 51.4% |
| 2023 | 871 | 41.3% | 35.1% | 48.0% |
| 2024 | 907 | 48.2% | 34.3% | 39.9% |
| 2025 | 987 | 45.0% | 36.0% | 41.6% |
| 2026 | 352 | 49.7% | 28.4% | 38.1% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge D. Martz Ames's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established227
- Continuity of symptomatology since service95
- Service connection established87
- Caused by the service-connected disability72
- In-service noise exposure conceded38
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability28
- Preponderance of evidence favors service connection26
- Already at the maximum schedular rating21
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim255
- No current diagnosis189
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis134
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service112
- Current diagnosis established98
- Service records negative or silent69
- Already at the maximum schedular rating61
- No continuity of symptomatology35
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. Martz Ames decisions
Granted
Favorable finding from AOJ that CRAO with strabismus resulted from 2018 VA eye surgeries is binding.; March 2019 VA eye examination diagnosed CRAO and strabismus shortly after final surgeries.; September 2019 VA medical opinion indicated disability was unforeseeable complication of VA treatment.
Benefit of the doubt applied; VA opinion found TBI due to eye removal at least as likely as not proximately due to or the result of acquired anophthalmia post enucleation; Optic nerve injury is part of the CNS, thus injuring the brain
Migraine disability impacts ability to secure/follow substantially gainful occupation; Unpredictable onset of severe symptoms requires rest; Symptoms interfere with job responsibilities and ability to focus
Denied
Convalescence period ended by August 31, 2011.; Service treatment records indicated improvement and discontinuation of post-surgical support.; Persistent symptoms reflected underlying disability, not need for extended convalescence.
Persuasive evidence weighs against service connection; Negative service treatment records for back abnormalities; Negative VA nexus opinion finding no relation to service
No current diagnosis of PTSD; Symptoms do not meet DSM-5 criteria for PTSD; No evidence of in-service stressor or link to current symptoms
Research your Judge D. Martz Ames 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.