Veterans Law Judge
Judge Donnie R. Hachey: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Donnie R. Hachey signed 8,569 Board decisions covering 17,680 condition issues. The judge granted 28.6% of those issues, denied 21.0% and remanded 48.1%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.6% and remanded 47.7%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is close to it.
Decisions
8,569
2017–2026
Issues decided
17,680
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
28.6%
Board, same conditions: 19.6%
Issues remanded
48.1%
Board, same conditions: 47.7%
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 | 1,462 | 26.7% | 17.2% | 51.9% | 51.1% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 906 | 36.9% | 28.8% | 34.7% | 38.1% |
| Hearing loss | 879 | 23.0% | 19.5% | 31.3% | 34.6% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 640 | 36.9% | 20.5% | 41.1% | 46.1% |
| Tinnitus | 606 | 56.3% | 39.4% | 13.7% | 22.8% |
| Hypertension | 559 | 18.4% | 17.1% | 54.7% | 48.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 557 | 38.6% | 26.1% | 47.0% | 50.4% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 429 | 32.6% | 18.5% | 47.1% | 48.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 418 | 23.7% | 14.2% | 53.1% | 53.0% |
| Migraine | 386 | 49.5% | 30.0% | 37.0% | 42.2% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 374 | 38.5% | 20.3% | 43.3% | 51.8% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 321 | 27.7% | 19.9% | 36.1% | 40.1% |
| Hip impairment | 318 | 20.8% | 14.3% | 55.3% | 53.8% |
| Ankle impairment | 315 | 31.7% | 16.7% | 51.7% | 50.4% |
| Major depressive disorder | 269 | 48.3% | 34.5% | 29.4% | 34.2% |
Judge Donnie R. Hachey's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 102 | 34.3% | 45.1% | 37.3% |
| 2018 | 1,162 | 37.2% | 45.4% | 52.2% |
| 2019 | 1,140 | 45.9% | 35.4% | 51.1% |
| 2020 | 838 | 45.0% | 30.7% | 51.2% |
| 2021 | 1,100 | 48.7% | 26.4% | 52.6% |
| 2022 | 905 | 40.0% | 23.2% | 59.4% |
| 2023 | 934 | 45.4% | 27.3% | 52.2% |
| 2024 | 1,040 | 40.4% | 25.5% | 47.0% |
| 2025 | 994 | 40.2% | 29.3% | 46.3% |
| 2026 | 354 | 52.3% | 29.1% | 39.3% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Donnie R. Hachey's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established143
- Service connection established110
- Caused by the service-connected disability83
- In-service noise exposure conceded42
- Tinnitus capable of lay observation34
- VA failed to meet burden of proof for reduction34
- Already at the maximum schedular rating29
- Criteria for service connection met26
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim256
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service107
- No current diagnosis101
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis100
- Service records negative or silent87
- Already at the maximum schedular rating46
- No continuity of symptomatology41
- Current diagnosis established38
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 Donnie R. Hachey decisions
Granted
Evidence of in-service acoustic noise trauma conceded by AOJ; Current diagnosis of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss meets VA criteria; Veteran's testimony regarding hearing loss since service found competent and credible; Private medical opinion from Dr. H. provided positive nexus to noise exposure
Private medical opinion found PTSD caused obesity and disrupted REM sleep, leading to obstructive sleep apnea.; Board found private opinion probative and favorable, applying intermediate step theorem.; VA opinions were unfavorable or minimally probative.
Veteran's service-connected conditions prevent substantially gainful employment; Employment during period on appeal was marginal; Credible testimony regarding functional limitations
Denied
DC 6522 requires nasal polyps for 30% rating.; Examinations consistently showed no nasal polyps.; Evidence supports current 10% rating for nasal obstruction.
Wholly sensory in nature; No objective motor impairment; Normal motor strength, reflexes, gait
February 2025 VA examination results did not meet VA criteria for hearing loss.; No other evidence of hearing loss disability found in the record.
Research your Judge Donnie R. Hachey 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.