Veterans Law Judge
Judge J.W. Francis: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2022, Veterans Law Judge J.W. Francis signed 4,744 Board decisions covering 10,374 condition issues. The judge granted 10.2% of those issues, denied 43.2% and remanded 43.9%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.8% and remanded 47.0%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
4,744
2017–2022
Issues decided
10,374
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
10.2%
Board, same conditions: 19.8%
Issues remanded
43.9%
Board, same conditions: 47.0%
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 | 830 | 7.8% | 17.3% | 50.1% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 585 | 11.1% | 19.5% | 34.2% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 511 | 18.4% | 28.9% | 39.9% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 423 | 7.8% | 20.7% | 43.5% | 46.1% |
| Tinnitus | 395 | 28.1% | 39.7% | 20.8% | 22.8% |
| Hypertension | 337 | 6.2% | 17.2% | 43.9% | 48.8% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 324 | 9.3% | 26.3% | 46.9% | 50.4% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 282 | 6.7% | 18.7% | 44.7% | 48.1% |
| Shoulder impairment | 238 | 7.1% | 14.4% | 50.8% | 53.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 231 | 11.3% | 20.6% | 48.9% | 51.7% |
| Hip impairment | 210 | 1.9% | 14.4% | 52.4% | 53.8% |
| Migraine | 204 | 13.2% | 30.2% | 38.2% | 42.2% |
| Ankle impairment | 195 | 6.2% | 16.9% | 46.2% | 50.5% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 184 | 9.2% | 20.0% | 29.9% | 40.1% |
| Major depressive disorder | 138 | 16.7% | 34.7% | 44.2% | 34.1% |
Judge J.W. Francis's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 599 | 18.2% | 52.4% | 49.2% |
| 2018 | 957 | 23.3% | 51.1% | 54.1% |
| 2019 | 921 | 21.7% | 54.7% | 52.8% |
| 2020 | 914 | 19.5% | 57.8% | 42.1% |
| 2021 | 917 | 20.4% | 48.9% | 49.3% |
| 2022 | 436 | 18.6% | 49.8% | 48.2% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge J.W. Francis's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established32
- Service connection established19
- In-service noise exposure conceded15
- Continuity of symptomatology since service14
- Caused by the service-connected disability12
- Criteria for service connection met7
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service6
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability5
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim314
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis198
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service184
- No current diagnosis111
- Service records negative or silent87
- Current diagnosis established52
- No continuity of symptomatology42
- Continuity of symptomatology since service30
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.W. Francis decisions
Granted
Separate rating warranted due to incapacitating episodes.; No visual acuity impairment or visual field defect noted.; Benefit of doubt applied for earliest ascertainable date.
Equal balance of competent and credible evidence; Resolved in favor of the Veteran
Service-connected disabilities found to require aid and attendance.; Evidence supports need for assistance with bathing, dressing, hygiene, medication management.; Grant of SMC aid and attendance is warranted.
Denied
Diabetes mellitus rated under DC 7913 with successive criteria.; No medical evidence demonstrated need to avoid strenuous activities.; Veteran's subjective reports of activity restriction outweighed by VA examinations.
Weight of evidence against service connection; Not caused by National Guard ADT and IDT
Evidence weighed against complete paralysis; Retained sensation and muscle strength; Private opinion found to have limited probative value
Research your Judge J.W. Francis 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 (2017–2022) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.