Veterans Law Judge
Judge J. B. Freeman: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge J. B. Freeman signed 4,133 Board decisions covering 7,637 condition issues. The judge granted 14.8% of those issues, denied 26.3% and remanded 56.7%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.8% and remanded 46.8%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
4,133
2017–2026
Issues decided
7,637
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
14.8%
Board, same conditions: 19.8%
Issues remanded
56.7%
Board, same conditions: 46.8%
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 | 564 | 8.3% | 17.3% | 71.8% | 51.0% |
| Hearing loss | 426 | 11.5% | 19.5% | 38.3% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 342 | 26.3% | 28.9% | 42.4% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 309 | 33.0% | 39.6% | 24.9% | 22.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 260 | 19.2% | 26.3% | 67.7% | 50.3% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 220 | 14.1% | 20.7% | 55.5% | 46.0% |
| Hypertension | 200 | 18.5% | 17.1% | 51.0% | 48.7% |
| Shoulder impairment | 185 | 6.5% | 14.3% | 69.2% | 53.0% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 182 | 8.2% | 18.7% | 64.8% | 48.0% |
| Migraine | 165 | 19.4% | 30.2% | 61.8% | 42.1% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 156 | 23.1% | 20.5% | 51.3% | 51.7% |
| Ankle impairment | 143 | 11.9% | 16.9% | 63.6% | 50.4% |
| Hip impairment | 130 | 9.2% | 14.4% | 64.6% | 53.8% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 119 | 24.4% | 19.9% | 44.5% | 40.0% |
| Major depressive disorder | 101 | 22.8% | 34.7% | 49.5% | 34.1% |
Judge J. B. Freeman's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 27 | 18.5% | 48.1% | 63.0% |
| 2020 | 588 | 25.5% | 51.9% | 48.1% |
| 2021 | 678 | 24.3% | 38.1% | 51.8% |
| 2022 | 357 | 28.6% | 25.2% | 58.5% |
| 2023 | 635 | 25.5% | 30.9% | 60.2% |
| 2024 | 713 | 25.1% | 30.3% | 57.5% |
| 2025 | 838 | 24.5% | 31.1% | 56.0% |
| 2026 | 291 | 21.6% | 28.5% | 50.9% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge J. B. Freeman's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established96
- Service connection established25
- Caused by the service-connected disability18
- In-service noise exposure conceded9
- Continuity of symptomatology since service7
- Board finds criteria for service connection are met6
- Criteria for service connection met6
- Severance of service connection was improper5
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim112
- No current diagnosis97
- Service records negative or silent67
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis61
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service59
- Current diagnosis established29
- No continuity of symptomatology29
- Already at the maximum schedular rating23
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. B. Freeman decisions
Granted
In-service injury (boxing tournament); Surgery for labral tear; Benefit of the doubt applied
VA examiner's opinion inadequate for failing to address in-service onset; Veteran's lay statements regarding tinnitus onset found credible; Service connection granted based on credible lay evidence and inadequate VA opinion
Veteran's consistent reports of onset during service and continuity since; Inadequate VA opinions that failed to address Veteran's consistent reports; Favorable private physician opinion linking tinnitus to noise exposure; Benefit of the doubt afforded to Veteran
Denied
No current diagnosis of kidney disease; Acute renal failure likely due to supplements/diet; No chronic kidney condition found
Symptoms consistent with 70% rating; Occupational and social impairment in most areas; Deficiencies in work, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood
New and relevant evidence submitted for readjudication; STRs silent for right knee complaints; Veteran's testimony regarding in-service onset and self-treatment deemed insufficient
Research your Judge J. B. Freeman 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.