Veterans Law Judge
Judge H. Seesel: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge H. Seesel signed 6,968 Board decisions covering 13,320 condition issues. The judge granted 16.4% of those issues, denied 29.4% and remanded 51.4%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.5% and remanded 47.2%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
6,968
2017–2026
Issues decided
13,320
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
16.4%
Board, same conditions: 19.5%
Issues remanded
51.4%
Board, same conditions: 47.2%
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 | 1,033 | 14.6% | 17.3% | 52.8% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 719 | 23.4% | 19.5% | 33.5% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 703 | 28.0% | 28.9% | 42.8% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 444 | 17.6% | 20.7% | 46.6% | 46.1% |
| Tinnitus | 436 | 40.1% | 39.6% | 22.0% | 22.8% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 421 | 24.0% | 26.2% | 55.8% | 50.3% |
| Hypertension | 395 | 16.5% | 17.2% | 53.4% | 48.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 391 | 10.2% | 18.7% | 56.5% | 48.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 335 | 9.0% | 14.4% | 59.4% | 53.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 292 | 15.1% | 20.6% | 59.6% | 51.6% |
| Hip impairment | 274 | 9.9% | 14.4% | 62.4% | 53.7% |
| Ankle impairment | 237 | 11.4% | 16.9% | 55.7% | 50.4% |
| Migraine | 228 | 20.2% | 30.2% | 51.3% | 42.1% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 214 | 19.6% | 20.0% | 43.0% | 40.0% |
| Cervical spine limitation of motion | 171 | 12.3% | 13.2% | 63.7% | 58.3% |
Judge H. Seesel's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 620 | 22.4% | 37.1% | 61.9% |
| 2018 | 872 | 25.8% | 39.7% | 56.9% |
| 2019 | 880 | 28.0% | 34.5% | 61.9% |
| 2020 | 834 | 32.0% | 39.7% | 55.9% |
| 2021 | 800 | 31.9% | 38.5% | 54.4% |
| 2022 | 639 | 29.7% | 33.3% | 59.6% |
| 2023 | 639 | 25.4% | 29.7% | 62.1% |
| 2024 | 690 | 26.7% | 31.2% | 56.2% |
| 2025 | 739 | 28.7% | 36.0% | 47.9% |
| 2026 | 255 | 36.5% | 37.6% | 43.1% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge H. Seesel's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established178
- Service connection established59
- Caused by the service-connected disability37
- Continuity of symptomatology since service36
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service20
- In-service noise exposure conceded14
- New and material evidence submitted to reopen claim13
- Already at the maximum schedular rating13
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim268
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service204
- No current diagnosis146
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis142
- Service records negative or silent101
- Current diagnosis established68
- No continuity of symptomatology44
- Already at the maximum schedular rating36
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. Seesel decisions
Granted
Intent to file on July 10, 2024, associated with claim; Claim filed within one year of intent to file
Reduction improper as based on single day's readings; Did not demonstrate actual improvement in functioning; Restoration of 10 percent rating warranted
AOJ favorable finding of current sleep apnea; Veteran is service-connected for PTSD; Evidence in approximate balance between VA and private opinions; Private opinion found competent and credible, linking sleep apnea to PTSD
Denied
No current diagnosis for a lung condition.; No objective clinical findings to support a lung condition.; VA examiner opinions found symptoms insufficient for diagnosis.
Evidence persuasively weighs against finding that personality disorder and/or body dysmorphic disorder began during active service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.; June 2024 VA opinion found claimed condition less likely than not incurred in or caused by service.; Veteran's lay statements and 2018 VA examination were insufficient to establish service connection.
Criteria for 20 percent rating not met; At most, criteria for 10 percent rating approximated; Increased rating denied
Research your Judge H. Seesel 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.