Veterans Law Judge
Judge James G. Reinhart: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2020, Veterans Law Judge James G. Reinhart signed 3,416 Board decisions covering 7,384 condition issues. The judge granted 10.7% of those issues, denied 52.6% and remanded 33.2%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.2% and remanded 46.4%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
3,416
2017–2020
Issues decided
7,384
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
10.7%
Board, same conditions: 20.2%
Issues remanded
33.2%
Board, same conditions: 46.4%
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 | 531 | 8.1% | 17.3% | 39.7% | 51.2% |
| Hearing loss | 495 | 12.9% | 19.5% | 20.4% | 34.7% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 402 | 17.2% | 28.9% | 25.1% | 38.2% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 316 | 8.2% | 20.7% | 31.3% | 46.1% |
| Tinnitus | 313 | 20.4% | 39.7% | 19.5% | 22.8% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 238 | 10.1% | 18.7% | 29.0% | 48.1% |
| Hypertension | 235 | 6.8% | 17.2% | 32.8% | 48.8% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 173 | 12.7% | 20.6% | 34.7% | 51.8% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 166 | 7.8% | 26.3% | 36.1% | 50.4% |
| Shoulder impairment | 150 | 8.0% | 14.3% | 24.0% | 53.1% |
| Migraine | 150 | 20.7% | 30.2% | 26.0% | 42.2% |
| Major depressive disorder | 136 | 18.4% | 34.7% | 29.4% | 34.2% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 133 | 10.5% | 20.0% | 18.8% | 40.1% |
| Ankle impairment | 120 | 7.5% | 16.9% | 36.7% | 50.5% |
| Hip impairment | 96 | 8.3% | 14.4% | 45.8% | 53.8% |
Judge James G. Reinhart's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 624 | 19.1% | 62.0% | 45.2% |
| 2018 | 1,063 | 21.4% | 63.3% | 40.2% |
| 2019 | 918 | 23.3% | 66.8% | 36.8% |
| 2020 | 811 | 20.7% | 61.2% | 41.8% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge James G. Reinhart's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established43
- Caused by the service-connected disability18
- Service connection established14
- In-service noise exposure conceded8
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim6
- Criteria for service connection met6
- Continuity of symptomatology since service5
- Presumption of soundness not rebutted4
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim315
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis214
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service194
- No current diagnosis117
- Service records negative or silent88
- Current diagnosis established52
- No continuity of symptomatology43
- Continuity of symptomatology since service22
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 James G. Reinhart decisions
Granted
Service-connected right eye cataract; Visual field impairment warrants 10% rating under DC 6080; Criteria for higher rating not met
Competent and credible lay statements and officer evaluation reports; Proximity to base perimeter conceded; Presumption of herbicide exposure applied
Evidence in relative equipoise; Benefit of the doubt applied; December 2019 VA exam found causal connection
Denied
VA examiner found no current DSM-V diagnosis of PTSD; VA opinion favored due to comprehensive review of case file; Private provider opinions given less weight due to limited access
No in-service onset or manifestation; No nexus to service established; VA examinations found less likely than not caused by service
Hypertension rated at 0% noncompensable.; Blood pressure readings consistently showed well-controlled hypertension.; Veteran's assertions lacked medical expertise for higher rating.
Research your Judge James G. Reinhart 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 (2017–2020) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.