Veterans Law Judge
Judge Derek R. Brown: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2020, Veterans Law Judge Derek R. Brown signed 2,270 Board decisions covering 4,521 condition issues. The judge granted 11.3% of those issues, denied 34.5% and remanded 49.9%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.4% and remanded 47.8%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
2,270
2017–2020
Issues decided
4,521
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
11.3%
Board, same conditions: 19.4%
Issues remanded
49.9%
Board, same conditions: 47.8%
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 | 379 | 8.4% | 17.3% | 53.8% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 261 | 10.7% | 19.5% | 33.3% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 234 | 25.2% | 28.9% | 44.0% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 182 | 23.6% | 39.6% | 26.9% | 22.7% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 179 | 15.6% | 20.7% | 41.9% | 46.1% |
| Hypertension | 144 | 4.2% | 17.2% | 50.0% | 48.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 125 | 8.0% | 18.7% | 47.2% | 48.0% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 120 | 11.7% | 26.3% | 49.2% | 50.3% |
| Migraine | 110 | 18.2% | 30.2% | 47.3% | 42.2% |
| Shoulder impairment | 108 | 7.4% | 14.3% | 50.9% | 53.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 85 | 14.1% | 20.6% | 61.2% | 51.7% |
| Hip impairment | 83 | 10.8% | 14.3% | 55.4% | 53.8% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 78 | 11.5% | 20.0% | 35.9% | 40.1% |
| Major depressive disorder | 66 | 19.7% | 34.7% | 36.4% | 34.2% |
| Ankle impairment | 60 | 3.3% | 16.9% | 56.7% | 50.4% |
Judge Derek R. Brown's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 626 | 20.1% | 39.5% | 59.1% |
| 2018 | 807 | 24.2% | 48.0% | 58.0% |
| 2019 | 757 | 18.1% | 45.6% | 58.1% |
| 2020 | 80 | 33.8% | 42.5% | 66.3% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Derek R. Brown's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established17
- Caused by the service-connected disability9
- Continuity of symptomatology since service6
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim5
- New and material evidence submitted5
- Service connection established5
- Criteria for 10 percent rating met4
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability4
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim192
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis96
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service64
- Service records negative or silent39
- No current diagnosis31
- Current diagnosis established13
- Already at the maximum schedular rating12
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability7
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 Derek R. Brown decisions
Granted
Benefit of the doubt applied for initial 70% rating; Symptoms met criteria for 70% rating (suicidal ideation, irritability, sleep impairment); Evidence did not support total occupational/social impairment for 100% rating
Reasonable doubt resolved in veteran's favor.; Disability picture approximated moderate incomplete paralysis of the sciatic nerve.; Considered veteran's symptoms and some objective findings.
Reasonable doubt resolved in veteran's favor; Criteria for 10 percent rating met
Denied
No evidence of current disability or functional impairment; Service treatment records silent for shoulder complaints/diagnoses; No medical opinion linking current symptoms to service
Evidence did not show forward flexion limited to 30 degrees or less.; No evidence of unfavorable ankylosis of the thoracolumbar spine.; Pain and limitations did not meet criteria for higher rating based on functional impairment.
Audiometric testing showed Level I hearing loss in both ears; Preponderance of evidence against compensable rating; Functional difficulties consistent with mild hearing loss
Research your Judge Derek R. Brown 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 (2017–2020) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.