Veterans Law Judge
Judge David L. Wight: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge David L. Wight signed 8,631 Board decisions covering 17,776 condition issues. The judge granted 18.1% of those issues, denied 26.1% and remanded 53.1%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.6% and remanded 47.3%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
8,631
2017–2026
Issues decided
17,776
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
18.1%
Board, same conditions: 19.6%
Issues remanded
53.1%
Board, same conditions: 47.3%
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 | 1,497 | 15.6% | 17.3% | 59.5% | 51.0% |
| Hearing loss | 930 | 21.7% | 19.5% | 36.5% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 817 | 24.6% | 28.9% | 42.1% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 615 | 20.3% | 20.7% | 50.4% | 46.0% |
| Tinnitus | 590 | 32.4% | 39.7% | 30.0% | 22.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 524 | 28.2% | 26.2% | 52.5% | 50.3% |
| Hypertension | 458 | 17.5% | 17.2% | 49.1% | 48.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 436 | 19.5% | 18.6% | 50.5% | 48.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 420 | 11.9% | 14.3% | 63.8% | 52.9% |
| Hip impairment | 366 | 13.4% | 14.3% | 61.5% | 53.7% |
| Migraine | 343 | 31.5% | 30.1% | 46.6% | 42.1% |
| Ankle impairment | 341 | 13.2% | 16.9% | 57.2% | 50.4% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 294 | 17.0% | 20.0% | 45.2% | 40.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 289 | 20.1% | 20.5% | 51.9% | 51.7% |
| Major depressive disorder | 222 | 37.4% | 34.6% | 29.3% | 34.2% |
Judge David L. Wight's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 783 | 21.6% | 41.9% | 54.8% |
| 2018 | 981 | 31.4% | 40.2% | 59.2% |
| 2019 | 1,078 | 29.5% | 36.2% | 57.8% |
| 2020 | 942 | 32.7% | 39.3% | 58.6% |
| 2021 | 925 | 32.6% | 36.0% | 54.5% |
| 2022 | 838 | 30.7% | 31.1% | 57.6% |
| 2023 | 825 | 32.8% | 29.7% | 61.1% |
| 2024 | 868 | 32.7% | 34.6% | 52.3% |
| 2025 | 1,001 | 35.0% | 41.6% | 47.2% |
| 2026 | 390 | 43.8% | 27.9% | 49.2% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge David L. Wight's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established248
- Service connection established83
- Caused by the service-connected disability56
- In-service noise exposure conceded37
- Continuity of symptomatology since service26
- Already at the maximum schedular rating16
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service16
- Evidence evenly balanced12
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim319
- No current diagnosis194
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service194
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis128
- Current diagnosis established101
- Service records negative or silent97
- Already at the maximum schedular rating55
- No continuity of symptomatology32
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 David L. Wight decisions
Granted
Evidence of record is at least in equipoise regarding toxic exposures during service.; Private medical opinion provided moderate probative weight, linking prostate cancer to Fort McClellan exposures.; VA examination opinion afforded minimal probative weight due to conclusory nature and lack of direct evidence.
Credible MST reported by Veteran; Symptoms began during service; VA examiner linked disorder to MST and service
TDIU granted; Effective date of March 14, 2023; Service-connected disabilities prevent substantially gainful occupation
Denied
VA examinations did not show at least one characteristic of disfigurement.; Scars were less than five inches in length and less than one-square inch in width.; Scars did not exhibit surface contour elevation/depression, adherence to underlying tissue, or abnormal skin characteristics exceeding six square inches.
No current PTSD diagnosis; Prior denial became final; Unspecified trauma and stressor disorder is equivalent for compensation
Evidence did not support ratings higher than 20 percent.; Moderate incomplete paralysis found, not moderately severe or severe.; Pain and decreased sensation noted, but strength was 4/5 bilateral.
Research your Judge David L. Wight 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.