Veterans Law Judge
Judge J.M. Estes: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2023 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge J.M. Estes signed 417 Board decisions covering 493 condition issues. The judge granted 26.2% of those issues, denied 28.0% and remanded 42.4%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 21.6% and remanded 44.7%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
417
2023–2026
Issues decided
493
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
26.2%
Board, same conditions: 21.6%
Issues remanded
42.4%
Board, same conditions: 44.7%
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 | 38 | 26.3% | 17.3% | 52.6% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 29 | 6.9% | 19.5% | 31.0% | 34.6% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 28 | 21.4% | 26.2% | 50.0% | 50.3% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 27 | 29.6% | 28.9% | 29.6% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 26 | 30.8% | 39.6% | 15.4% | 22.8% |
Judge J.M. Estes's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 134 | 32.1% | 19.4% | 35.8% |
| 2024 | 153 | 22.9% | 32.0% | 40.5% |
| 2025 | 103 | 44.7% | 46.6% | 30.1% |
| 2026 | 27 | 37.0% | 44.4% | 37.0% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge J.M. Estes's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established17
- Resolving all doubt in veteran's favor3
- Service connection established2
- Pain significantly limits functional ability during flare-ups2
- Caused by the service-connected disability2
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis14
- Service records negative or silent8
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service7
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis3
- Evidence persuasively weighs against claim2
- Veteran's opinion on etiology not competent evidence2
- Audiometric tests did not meet threshold criteria1
- Audiometric testing yielded level i designation for right ear1
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.M. Estes decisions
Granted
Temporary total rating for convalescence granted Feb 22, 2019 - Mar 22, 2019.; Temporary total rating under DC 5055 granted Mar 23, 2019 - Mar 23, 2020.; Increased rating of 60 percent granted from Mar 23, 2020, for chronic residuals of severe painful motion and weakness.
Conceded Vietnam stressor; VA examiner diagnosed unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder; VA examiner found disorder related to Vietnam service; Benefit of doubt resolved in Veteran's favor
Severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms approximate 50% rating criteria; Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity; Benefit of the doubt afforded for overlapping symptoms
Denied
Service treatment records silent for tinnitus complaints or diagnosis.; Separation examination showed no ear trouble or tinnitus.; Post-service onset reported in 2022, nearly 50 years after service.; Multiple VA opinions consistently found tinnitus less likely than not related to service.; Veteran's opinion on etiology deemed incompetent due to lack of medical expertise.
Service treatment records negative for respiratory disorder complaints, treatment, or diagnosis.; Post-deployment health screening negative for breathing difficulty or asthma symptoms.; VA examinations and treatment records negative for asthma or respiratory disorder.
Private and VA examinations noted symptoms like anxiety, depression, memory issues, and occasional irritability.; Board found symptoms did not rise to the level for a 70 percent rating prior to January 15, 2018.; Evidence indicated ability to maintain relationships and assist neighbors, weighing against higher rating.; Medical evidence from VA examinations was considered more persuasive than veteran's self-reports on severity.
Research your Judge J.M. Estes 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 (2023–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.