Veterans Law Judge
Judge J. Gallagher: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2018 to 2023, Veterans Law Judge J. Gallagher signed 236 Board decisions covering 561 condition issues. The judge granted 14.6% of those issues, denied 41.9% and remanded 42.4%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.2% and remanded 47.7%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
236
2018–2023
Issues decided
561
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
14.6%
Board, same conditions: 19.2%
Issues remanded
42.4%
Board, same conditions: 47.7%
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 | 50 | 6.0% | 17.3% | 44.0% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 34 | 8.8% | 19.5% | 26.5% | 34.6% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 23 | 30.4% | 20.7% | 34.8% | 46.1% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 22 | 31.8% | 28.9% | 13.6% | 38.1% |
Judge J. Gallagher's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 36 | 30.6% | 52.8% | 38.9% |
| 2019 | 22 | 31.8% | 59.1% | 45.5% |
| 2020 | 26 | 30.8% | 50.0% | 57.7% |
| 2021 | 28 | 28.6% | 71.4% | 35.7% |
| 2022 | 123 | 35.0% | 43.9% | 56.1% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge J. Gallagher's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established4
- Already at the maximum schedular rating3
- Service connection established2
- Continuity of symptomatology since service2
Most common reasons in denials
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis8
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim8
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service8
- No current diagnosis5
- Current diagnosis established5
- Service records negative or silent4
- No continuity of symptomatology2
- Board found impairment best described by 50% criteria (reduced reliability/productivity), not 70% criteria (deficiencies in most areas)1
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. Gallagher decisions
Granted
Veteran meets schedular criteria for TDIU (80% for hearing loss, 10% for tinnitus).; Private vocational assessment and audiologist opinion found veteran unemployable.; Board afforded veteran benefit of the doubt.
Moderate symptoms of incomplete paralysis of median and ulnar nerves in upper extremities.; March 2013 VA exam noted moderate paresthesias in upper extremities.; April 2021 VA exam noted moderate symptoms and functional impact of difficulty with computer work.
Evidence in equipoise; Benefit of the doubt afforded; July 2014 VA exam inadequate; Feb 2016 VA exam more probative
Denied
No effective function remained other than that which would be equally well served by amputation with prosthesis by December 23, 2014.; Prior to December 23, 2014, evidence did not establish loss of use of both hands.; Earlier effective date denied due to lack of established loss of use prior to December 23, 2014.
Diabetes managed by restricted diet and oral glycemic agent.; Evidence does not support need for regulation of activities.; Medical evidence persuasively weighs against assigning a rating in excess of 20 percent.
No current heart disability found; Condition resolved; January 2020 VA exam persuasive
Research your Judge J. Gallagher 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 (2018–2023) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.