Veterans Law Judge
Judge E. I. Velez: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge E. I. Velez signed 9,665 Board decisions covering 18,087 condition issues. The judge granted 20.9% of those issues, denied 12.6% and remanded 63.3%. 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 close to the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
9,665
2017–2026
Issues decided
18,087
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
20.9%
Board, same conditions: 19.4%
Issues remanded
63.3%
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 | 1,442 | 19.8% | 17.2% | 71.2% | 50.9% |
| Hearing loss | 972 | 27.9% | 19.4% | 41.9% | 34.5% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 801 | 32.0% | 28.8% | 46.6% | 38.0% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 729 | 21.3% | 20.6% | 67.6% | 45.8% |
| Tinnitus | 606 | 50.3% | 39.5% | 26.2% | 22.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 578 | 37.4% | 26.1% | 54.0% | 50.3% |
| Hypertension | 540 | 24.1% | 17.1% | 54.8% | 48.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 449 | 18.7% | 18.7% | 65.9% | 47.9% |
| Shoulder impairment | 414 | 15.2% | 14.3% | 75.1% | 52.8% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 381 | 18.6% | 20.6% | 66.7% | 51.5% |
| Migraine | 347 | 32.9% | 30.1% | 53.0% | 42.1% |
| Ankle impairment | 322 | 14.6% | 16.9% | 73.6% | 50.2% |
| Hip impairment | 309 | 15.2% | 14.3% | 76.1% | 53.6% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 303 | 19.5% | 20.0% | 56.1% | 39.9% |
| Major depressive disorder | 271 | 38.4% | 34.6% | 43.9% | 34.1% |
Judge E. I. Velez's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 486 | 11.1% | 32.5% | 66.3% |
| 2018 | 1,057 | 26.5% | 23.8% | 69.3% |
| 2019 | 1,119 | 27.4% | 24.2% | 69.5% |
| 2020 | 1,071 | 30.1% | 26.1% | 61.9% |
| 2021 | 988 | 31.9% | 19.4% | 63.4% |
| 2022 | 876 | 33.2% | 17.7% | 66.2% |
| 2023 | 998 | 31.7% | 18.1% | 62.4% |
| 2024 | 1,273 | 35.7% | 19.1% | 54.6% |
| 2025 | 1,308 | 38.7% | 24.3% | 47.0% |
| 2026 | 489 | 50.3% | 22.9% | 41.5% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge E. I. Velez's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established235
- In-service noise exposure conceded149
- Service connection established81
- Caused by the service-connected disability60
- Continuity of symptomatology since service22
- Already at the maximum schedular rating16
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability14
- Diagnosed disability present14
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis120
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim115
- Already at the maximum schedular rating66
- Service records negative or silent58
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service52
- Current diagnosis established37
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis35
- No continuity of symptomatology14
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. I. Velez decisions
Granted
Service treatment records show in-service complaint and treatment for epididymitis.; Post-service records and private physician opinion support current diagnosis and link to service.; Benefit of the doubt applied due to approximate balance of evidence.
Private psychologist opined PTSD related to Vietnam service.; Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service stressors found credible.; Stressor related to fear of hostile military activity.
AOJ improperly combined rating for insomnia with lumbar spine disability.; Insomnia is a psychological disorder, rated separately from spine.; Symptoms of insomnia and depression were indistinguishable from June 2, 2016.; Veteran's insomnia manifested in deficiencies in most areas, including suicidal ideation, warranting 70% rating.
Denied
Veteran already at maximum rating for migraines (50%); Evidence did not support higher rating
Scar was not painful, unstable, or of sufficient size.; No functional impairment or disabling effects documented.; Appellant's assertions inconsistent with contemporaneous examination findings.
Record does not show a clinical diagnosis of PTSD in accordance with DSM-5 criteria.; Veteran's VA providers, VA examiner, and private examiner did not diagnose PTSD.; Evidence does not show the Veteran has the specialized medical education to attribute symptoms to PTSD.
Research your Judge E. I. Velez 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.