Veterans Law Judge
Judge E. Blowers: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2018 to 2025, Veterans Law Judge E. Blowers signed 488 Board decisions covering 1,152 condition issues. The judge granted 17.3% of those issues, denied 35.5% and remanded 45.1%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.2% and remanded 45.8%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is close to it.
Decisions
488
2018–2025
Issues decided
1,152
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
17.3%
Board, same conditions: 20.2%
Issues remanded
45.1%
Board, same conditions: 45.8%
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 | 94 | 24.5% | 17.3% | 47.9% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 63 | 25.4% | 19.5% | 33.3% | 34.6% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 57 | 17.5% | 20.7% | 49.1% | 46.1% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 50 | 24.0% | 28.9% | 22.0% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 44 | 18.2% | 39.6% | 31.8% | 22.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 41 | 22.0% | 26.2% | 48.8% | 50.3% |
| Hypertension | 39 | 23.1% | 17.1% | 46.2% | 48.7% |
| Shoulder impairment | 32 | 9.4% | 14.3% | 43.8% | 53.0% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 25 | 20.0% | 18.7% | 32.0% | 48.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 25 | 24.0% | 20.5% | 16.0% | 51.7% |
| Migraine | 25 | 24.0% | 30.2% | 44.0% | 42.2% |
| Paralysis of sciatic nerve or external popliteal nerve | 21 | 4.8% | 22.0% | 57.1% | 49.5% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 21 | 4.8% | 20.0% | 38.1% | 40.1% |
Judge E. Blowers's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 87 | 33.3% | 37.9% | 67.8% |
| 2020 | 69 | 37.7% | 52.2% | 52.2% |
| 2021 | 111 | 42.3% | 60.4% | 50.5% |
| 2022 | 187 | 32.6% | 45.5% | 52.4% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge E. Blowers's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established14
- Service connection established9
- Continuous symptoms since service separation3
- Service treatment records unavailable2
- Caused by the service-connected disability2
- Criteria for 10 percent rating met2
- Already at the maximum schedular rating2
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim18
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis15
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service15
- Service records negative or silent13
- No current diagnosis11
- Current diagnosis established6
- Criteria for higher rating not met5
- No continuity of symptomatology5
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 E. Blowers decisions
Granted
Presumed herbicide exposure due to Vietnam service; Veteran provided credible lay reports of post-service onset of rashes; Inadequate VA medical opinions failed to consider lay contentions and herbicide exposure nexus
Credible lay statements of hearing loss and tinnitus during service; Continuous worsening of symptoms post-service; Service-connected tinnitus based on similar noise exposures; Evidence in relative equipoise regarding chronic/continuous symptoms; Resolving doubt in veteran's favor
In-service injury to the back; Continuous back pain since service; Credible lay statements and testimony; Resolved reasonable doubt in Veteran's favor; Private medical opinion provided rationale
Denied
No evidence of brain surgery performed.; Subarachnoid hemorrhage likely due to basilar artery aneurysm.; VA opinions found hemorrhage unrelated to service-connected headaches.; Evidence persuasively weighs against service connection.
Presumed herbicide exposure due to Vietnam service; Significant post-service smoking history identified as primary cause of COPD/emphysema; Medical literature does not support COPD/emphysema link to pneumothorax or herbicide exposure; Remote post-service onset of COPD/emphysema weighs against service connection
No chronic or continuous symptoms of atrial fibrillation during or after service.; In-service heart murmur was functional and unrelated to atrial fibrillation.; VA opinions found atrial fibrillation less likely than not related to service due to risk factors and time lapse.
Research your Judge E. Blowers 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 (2018–2025) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.