Veterans Law Judge
Judge J.L. Burroughs: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2020 to 2023, Veterans Law Judge J.L. Burroughs signed 208 Board decisions covering 427 condition issues. The judge granted 20.1% of those issues, denied 24.4% and remanded 53.9%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.1% and remanded 47.8%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
208
2020–2023
Issues decided
427
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
20.1%
Board, same conditions: 19.1%
Issues remanded
53.9%
Board, same conditions: 47.8%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hypertension | 23 | 43.5% | 17.1% | 39.1% | 48.7% |
| Knee impairment | 23 | 21.7% | 17.3% | 65.2% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 22 | 27.3% | 19.5% | 45.5% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 21 | 28.6% | 28.9% | 38.1% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 20 | 25.0% | 20.7% | 50.0% | 46.1% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge J.L. Burroughs's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established10
- In-service noise exposure conceded4
- Service connection established3
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability2
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis8
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim5
- Current diagnosis established4
- Service records negative or silent3
- Caused by the service-connected disability2
- No new and material evidence submitted2
- Evidence does not reflect completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability1
- Forward flexion did not meet criteria for higher rating1
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.L. Burroughs decisions
Granted
Conceded in-service noise exposure; Credible lay statements regarding symptom onset and continuity; VA examiners' opinions found inadequate for failing to address threshold shifts and lay statements
Resolving doubt in Veteran's favor; Symptoms more nearly approximate total occupational and social impairment; Private psychologist report highly probative
Qualifying service in Southwest Asia theater of operations during Persian Gulf War; Diagnosis of allergic rhinitis confirmed by VA exam; Symptoms manifest within 10 years of separation; No intercurrent cause shown
Denied
Veteran did not meet criteria for compensable rating under pre-amendment DC 7820.; Veteran did not meet criteria for compensable rating under post-amendment DC 7820.; Evidence did not show disfigurement, scarring, dermatitis, or need for systemic therapy.
Forward flexion did not meet criteria for higher rating; No evidence of ankylosis or functional equivalent; No diagnosis of IVDS or prescribed bed rest shown
No findings of ankylosis in cervical spine; Pain and limited motion do not meet criteria for higher rating; July 2022 VA examination compliant, did not reflect ankylosis
Research your Judge J.L. Burroughs 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 (2020–2023) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.