Veterans Law Judge
Judge H.M. Walker: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge H.M. Walker signed 10,515 Board decisions covering 19,136 condition issues. The judge granted 18.4% of those issues, denied 34.4% and remanded 44.8%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.9% and remanded 47.1%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
10,515
2017–2026
Issues decided
19,136
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
18.4%
Board, same conditions: 19.9%
Issues remanded
44.8%
Board, same conditions: 47.1%
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 | 1,485 | 14.3% | 17.3% | 50.0% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 1,078 | 32.7% | 19.3% | 26.0% | 34.7% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 901 | 27.4% | 28.9% | 37.0% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 768 | 46.0% | 39.5% | 13.4% | 22.9% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 701 | 18.7% | 20.7% | 43.8% | 46.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 633 | 18.8% | 26.3% | 54.5% | 50.3% |
| Hypertension | 560 | 18.0% | 17.1% | 43.2% | 48.8% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 496 | 18.1% | 18.7% | 45.4% | 48.1% |
| Migraine | 442 | 25.3% | 30.2% | 43.7% | 42.2% |
| Shoulder impairment | 427 | 15.5% | 14.3% | 47.8% | 53.1% |
| Hip impairment | 395 | 12.4% | 14.4% | 51.9% | 53.8% |
| Ankle impairment | 333 | 11.1% | 16.9% | 48.6% | 50.4% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 314 | 18.8% | 20.0% | 36.9% | 40.1% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 298 | 18.8% | 20.6% | 55.7% | 51.7% |
| Major depressive disorder | 271 | 31.0% | 34.7% | 38.7% | 34.1% |
Judge H.M. Walker's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 591 | 26.9% | 44.2% | 46.9% |
| 2018 | 1,174 | 35.3% | 45.4% | 50.3% |
| 2019 | 1,214 | 32.9% | 44.2% | 52.1% |
| 2020 | 1,097 | 28.4% | 49.7% | 42.7% |
| 2021 | 898 | 32.2% | 37.9% | 43.3% |
| 2022 | 1,004 | 29.8% | 34.1% | 53.7% |
| 2023 | 1,308 | 30.2% | 36.3% | 52.4% |
| 2024 | 1,684 | 27.8% | 35.6% | 45.1% |
| 2025 | 1,104 | 26.7% | 41.4% | 43.1% |
| 2026 | 441 | 42.6% | 36.1% | 40.1% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge H.M. Walker's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established310
- In-service noise exposure conceded157
- Continuity of symptomatology since service98
- Service connection established87
- Caused by the service-connected disability52
- New and material evidence received to reopen claim25
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service21
- New and material evidence submitted16
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim338
- No current diagnosis264
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service263
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis234
- Service records negative or silent197
- Current diagnosis established136
- Already at the maximum schedular rating79
- No continuity of symptomatology29
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 H.M. Walker decisions
Granted
Veteran's treating provider opined tinnitus most likely caused by in-service noise exposure; VA examiner opined tinnitus less likely than not related to service; Evidence in approximate balance, benefit of doubt applied
Reduction from 30% to 0% found improper; Lay evidence and private DBQ indicated continued symptoms and worsening; Contradicted VA examiner's finding of quiescent disease
RO granted service connection for GERD; Board upholds favorable AOJ finding; Granted effective December 1, 2020
Denied
FEV-1/FVC ratio of 88% post-bronchodilator; Daily inhalational bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory medication use; Fewer than monthly physician visits for exacerbations
Law mandates reduction to correct rate upon discovery of administrative error.; No equitable waiver authority for tuition payment errors.; Veteran's request for 100% payment denied as per 38 U.S.C. § 5112(b)(10) and 38 C.F.R. § 21.9636(r).
FVC results consistently above 80 percent predicted; DLCO and exercise capacity testing not performed; Probative evidence weighed against a compensable rating
Research your Judge H.M. Walker 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.