Veterans Law Judge
Judge J. Abrams: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2019 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge J. Abrams signed 858 Board decisions covering 1,725 condition issues. The judge granted 20.8% of those issues, denied 24.2% and remanded 53.1%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.7% and remanded 45.5%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
858
2019–2026
Issues decided
1,725
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
20.8%
Board, same conditions: 20.7%
Issues remanded
53.1%
Board, same conditions: 45.5%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hearing loss | 119 | 24.4% | 19.5% | 42.0% | 34.6% |
| Knee impairment | 110 | 14.5% | 17.3% | 61.8% | 51.1% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 82 | 39.0% | 28.9% | 34.1% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 64 | 48.4% | 39.6% | 29.7% | 22.7% |
| Hip impairment | 64 | 20.3% | 14.3% | 54.7% | 53.8% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 64 | 20.3% | 26.2% | 65.6% | 50.3% |
| Hypertension | 62 | 16.1% | 17.2% | 38.7% | 48.8% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 52 | 21.2% | 18.7% | 48.1% | 48.0% |
| Migraine | 42 | 26.2% | 30.2% | 47.6% | 42.2% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 41 | 34.1% | 20.6% | 46.3% | 46.1% |
| Ankle impairment | 39 | 17.9% | 16.9% | 61.5% | 50.4% |
| Paralysis of sciatic nerve or external popliteal nerve | 26 | 42.3% | 22.0% | 42.3% | 49.5% |
| Shoulder impairment | 23 | 21.7% | 14.3% | 60.9% | 53.0% |
| Major depressive disorder | 21 | 42.9% | 34.6% | 23.8% | 34.2% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 21 | 9.5% | 20.6% | 66.7% | 51.7% |
Judge J. Abrams's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | 52.4% | 66.7% | 66.7% |
| 2023 | 291 | 35.7% | 33.0% | 51.2% |
| 2024 | 264 | 40.5% | 26.1% | 56.1% |
| 2025 | 207 | 31.4% | 39.6% | 60.4% |
| 2026 | 40 | 45.0% | 57.5% | 67.5% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge J. Abrams's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established30
- Service connection established10
- Caused by the service-connected disability8
- Symptoms met criteria for 70% rating3
- Continuity of symptomatology since service3
- Symptoms approximated 70% criteria2
- Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity are competent and credible2
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service2
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis27
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis11
- Current diagnosis established11
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service10
- Service records negative or silent9
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim6
- Already at the maximum schedular rating5
- Evidence persuasively weighs against service connection2
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 J. Abrams decisions
Granted
Acquired psychiatric disability diagnosed; VA examiner noted occupational limitations; Veteran's statement corroborated limitations; Evidence in approximate balance; Benefit of the doubt applied
Favorable findings in VA exam for multilevel disc protrusions and degenerative changes; Veteran's credible lay testimony regarding in-service injury from parachute jump; Probative private medical opinion linking degenerative changes to parachuting activities
Evidence persuasively weighs in favor of 30 percent rating.; Plantar warts analogous to painful scars under DC 7804.; At least five painful plantar warts present.
Denied
No current diagnosed disability or persistent symptoms established; Failure to meet low threshold for VA examination; Lack of sufficient evidence for claim
Flexion limitations did not meet criteria for higher rating.; Extension limitations did not meet criteria for higher rating.; Evidence did not support ratings in excess of 30 percent.
December 2023 PFT results did not meet criteria for 10 percent rating.; Veteran did not meet criteria for daily bronchodilator use or frequent corticosteroid use.; Evidence did not support higher rating for this period.
Research your Judge J. Abrams 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 (2019–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.