Veterans Law Judge
Judge J.P. Norman: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2022 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge J.P. Norman signed 2,580 Board decisions covering 4,949 condition issues. The judge granted 32.1% of those issues, denied 31.3% and remanded 34.5%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.5% and remanded 46.7%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
2,580
2022–2026
Issues decided
4,949
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
32.1%
Board, same conditions: 20.5%
Issues remanded
34.5%
Board, same conditions: 46.7%
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 | 374 | 34.5% | 17.2% | 32.4% | 51.2% |
| Hearing loss | 239 | 18.8% | 19.5% | 15.1% | 34.6% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 228 | 39.0% | 26.2% | 36.0% | 50.4% |
| Tinnitus | 223 | 47.1% | 39.6% | 9.9% | 22.8% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 216 | 44.0% | 28.8% | 20.8% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 155 | 50.3% | 20.6% | 21.3% | 46.1% |
| Migraine | 130 | 45.4% | 30.1% | 30.0% | 42.2% |
| Hypertension | 128 | 36.7% | 17.1% | 29.7% | 48.8% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 107 | 36.4% | 18.6% | 37.4% | 48.1% |
| Shoulder impairment | 106 | 30.2% | 14.3% | 33.0% | 53.1% |
| Hip impairment | 101 | 29.7% | 14.3% | 42.6% | 53.8% |
| Paralysis of sciatic nerve or external popliteal nerve | 99 | 42.4% | 21.9% | 34.3% | 49.6% |
| Ankle impairment | 83 | 24.1% | 16.8% | 34.9% | 50.5% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 62 | 40.3% | 20.5% | 40.3% | 51.7% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 60 | 41.7% | 19.9% | 30.0% | 40.1% |
Judge J.P. Norman's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 370 | 46.8% | 29.7% | 54.9% |
| 2024 | 886 | 49.7% | 36.9% | 35.9% |
| 2025 | 953 | 45.0% | 46.3% | 30.4% |
| 2026 | 370 | 47.6% | 40.3% | 28.4% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge J.P. Norman's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established92
- Continuity of symptomatology since service39
- Service connection established35
- Caused by the service-connected disability27
- In-service noise exposure conceded23
- Already at the maximum schedular rating18
- Evidence at least evenly balanced7
- Symptoms consistent with 70% rating criteria6
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis96
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service63
- Current diagnosis established56
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim35
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis31
- Service records negative or silent25
- Already at the maximum schedular rating24
- No continuity of symptomatology15
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.P. Norman decisions
Granted
Reduction in rating was improper as void ab initio; Procedural due process requirements not met; Evidence evenly balanced to suggest no permanent improvement
Service treatment records reflect low back injury during service.; Veteran's treating provider opined condition related to military duties.; Proved continuity of symptomatology since service.; Evidence in approximate balance regarding origin and continuity.
Discontinuance void ab initio due to procedural errors; Failure to comply with 38 C.F.R. § 3.105(e) and § 3.344(c); Veteran's statement of retirement accepted
Denied
Claim received July 9, 2020; No evidence of receipt within one year of Intent to File; Most recent Intent to File July 27, 2018
No in-service reports of tinnitus; Significant intervening time between service and current report; VA examiner concluded less likely than not related to service/toxic exposure
No in-service complaints or treatment for psychiatric condition; No nexus established to service; McLendon criteria for remand not met
Research your Judge J.P. Norman 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 (2022–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.