Veterans Law Judge
Judge J. Connolly: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2024, Veterans Law Judge J. Connolly signed 269 Board decisions covering 689 condition issues. The judge granted 13.8% of those issues, denied 33.4% and remanded 50.2%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.3% and remanded 47.5%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
269
2017–2024
Issues decided
689
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
13.8%
Board, same conditions: 19.3%
Issues remanded
50.2%
Board, same conditions: 47.5%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knee impairment | 56 | 8.9% | 17.3% | 50.0% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 44 | 15.9% | 19.5% | 36.4% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 39 | 38.5% | 28.9% | 28.2% | 38.1% |
| Hypertension | 28 | 3.6% | 17.2% | 46.4% | 48.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 25 | 12.0% | 18.7% | 60.0% | 48.0% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 22 | 31.8% | 20.7% | 31.8% | 46.1% |
Judge J. Connolly's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 108 | 25.9% | 47.2% | 73.1% |
| 2019 | 28 | 42.9% | 46.4% | 60.7% |
| 2020 | 38 | 26.3% | 55.3% | 63.2% |
| 2021 | 60 | 35.0% | 43.3% | 50.0% |
| 2022 | 30 | 16.7% | 56.7% | 46.7% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge J. Connolly's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established5
- Continuity of symptomatology since service2
- In-service noise exposure conceded2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim18
- No current diagnosis12
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis7
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service5
- Service records negative or silent4
- Current diagnosis established2
- Symptoms did not consistently meet criteria for 70% rating2
- Board found november 2019 dlco result most probative1
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. Connolly decisions
Granted
Prior to October 3, 2013, symptoms met criteria for moderate manifestations under DC 7304.; From October 3, 2013, symptoms met criteria for 30 percent rating under DC 7346.; Higher ratings denied as symptoms did not meet criteria for severe impairment or unemployability.
Private opinion linked back condition to service-connected right knee disability.; Evidence found in equipoise.; Benefit of the doubt applied.
Symptoms approximated pronounced bilateral flatfoot.; Severe tenderness, hyperpronation, pain on manipulation/use, functional impairment.; 50 percent rating is maximum under DC 5299-5276 for pronounced bilateral flatfoot.
Denied
STRs incomplete, no service discharge examination report.; VA medical opinion found less likely than not related to service.; Veteran's statements regarding in-service symptoms were inconsistent and speculative.; Sleep apnea not caused or aggravated by service-connected lumbar spine disability.
VA examinations found the back disability less likely than not related to service.; Examiners noted single treatment for back pain during service and silence in records until 2014 diagnosis.; Congenital scoliosis diagnosis is not service-connected unless aggravated by service.
Prior to Feb 2, 2017: METs level confounded, LVEF normal, no cardiac hypertrophy/dilatation.; On or after Feb 2, 2017: Cardiac hypertrophy noted, but METs level not solely due to heart condition, LVEF normal.
Research your Judge J. Connolly 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 (2017–2024) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.