Veterans Law Judge
Judge J.N. Moats: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2024, Veterans Law Judge J.N. Moats signed 321 Board decisions covering 787 condition issues. The judge granted 12.6% of those issues, denied 35.1% and remanded 50.2%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.2% and remanded 47.4%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
321
2017–2024
Issues decided
787
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
12.6%
Board, same conditions: 19.2%
Issues remanded
50.2%
Board, same conditions: 47.4%
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 | 58 | 8.6% | 17.3% | 53.4% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 37 | 5.4% | 19.5% | 35.1% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 31 | 41.9% | 28.9% | 35.5% | 38.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 28 | 7.1% | 26.2% | 53.6% | 50.3% |
| Hypertension | 27 | 11.1% | 17.2% | 51.9% | 48.7% |
| Tinnitus | 24 | 16.7% | 39.6% | 16.7% | 22.8% |
| Shoulder impairment | 24 | 8.3% | 14.3% | 62.5% | 53.0% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 24 | 4.2% | 20.7% | 50.0% | 46.1% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 20 | 15.0% | 18.7% | 60.0% | 48.0% |
Judge J.N. Moats's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 36 | 33.3% | 47.2% | 66.7% |
| 2019 | 21 | 14.3% | 52.4% | 61.9% |
| 2020 | 67 | 26.9% | 35.8% | 59.7% |
| 2021 | 85 | 24.7% | 60.0% | 56.5% |
| 2022 | 96 | 25.0% | 46.9% | 47.9% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge J.N. Moats's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established7
- Service connection established2
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim27
- Service records negative or silent24
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis15
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service12
- No continuity of symptomatology9
- No current diagnosis8
- Continuity of symptomatology since service7
- Separation examination showed normal hearing4
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.N. Moats decisions
Granted
Symptoms approximated criteria for 50 percent rating under DC 5051; Severe painful motion or weakness following shoulder replacement; Functional loss due to pain and limited motion
Evidence in relative equipoise for 20% rating; Conflicting medical opinions on severity; Benefit of the doubt applied for 20% rating; Denied higher rating due to lack of clear evidence for severe impairment
Medical evidence establishes current psychiatric disability (PTSD, major depressive disorder).; Veteran's lay testimony regarding stressors found credible and consistent with service.; Favorable VA psychiatric opinion linked current condition to service.
Denied
No in-service complaints or diagnoses for left shoulder; Separation exam showed normal upper extremities; Lay statements inconsistent with service records and medical opinions; VA opinion found disability less likely than not related to service
Medical evidence did not consistently meet criteria for higher rating.; Ankylosis findings were isolated and not supported by other evidence.; Motion limitations did not approximate criteria for ratings above 20 percent.
Service treatment records negative for tremors.; Private records show onset around 2005-2006, diagnosed as essential tremor.; VA examinations rendered negative etiological opinions.; Board found Veteran's 1990 onset assertion inconsistent and not credible.; No presumptive condition for tremors related to herbicide exposure.; No competent medical opinion linking tremors to herbicide exposure.
Research your Judge J.N. Moats 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.