Veterans Law Judge
Judge Jennifer Hwa: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Jennifer Hwa signed 8,152 Board decisions covering 16,237 condition issues. The judge granted 19.3% of those issues, denied 29.4% and remanded 48.8%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.8% and remanded 47.1%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is close to it.
Decisions
8,152
2017–2026
Issues decided
16,237
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
19.3%
Board, same conditions: 19.8%
Issues remanded
48.8%
Board, same conditions: 47.1%
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 | 1,346 | 17.2% | 17.3% | 49.4% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 856 | 16.2% | 19.5% | 41.1% | 34.5% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 750 | 34.4% | 28.8% | 34.0% | 38.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 594 | 25.8% | 26.2% | 53.2% | 50.3% |
| Tinnitus | 572 | 40.4% | 39.6% | 25.3% | 22.7% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 553 | 19.5% | 20.7% | 46.3% | 46.1% |
| Hypertension | 545 | 14.9% | 17.2% | 48.6% | 48.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 441 | 17.9% | 18.7% | 44.0% | 48.1% |
| Shoulder impairment | 373 | 11.0% | 14.3% | 57.1% | 53.0% |
| Migraine | 346 | 34.1% | 30.1% | 40.5% | 42.2% |
| Hip impairment | 322 | 14.3% | 14.3% | 49.1% | 53.8% |
| Ankle impairment | 322 | 17.1% | 16.9% | 48.8% | 50.4% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 312 | 15.4% | 20.6% | 62.2% | 51.6% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 268 | 19.8% | 20.0% | 42.2% | 40.0% |
| Major depressive disorder | 221 | 37.1% | 34.6% | 36.7% | 34.2% |
Judge Jennifer Hwa's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 574 | 21.8% | 41.6% | 55.9% |
| 2018 | 951 | 30.0% | 40.4% | 55.5% |
| 2019 | 936 | 34.3% | 42.0% | 59.0% |
| 2020 | 941 | 33.8% | 45.2% | 50.7% |
| 2021 | 944 | 31.1% | 40.4% | 49.6% |
| 2022 | 844 | 35.0% | 35.8% | 53.3% |
| 2023 | 804 | 32.2% | 38.6% | 55.0% |
| 2024 | 832 | 36.5% | 28.8% | 49.5% |
| 2025 | 966 | 35.2% | 38.3% | 46.5% |
| 2026 | 360 | 46.9% | 32.5% | 44.4% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Jennifer Hwa's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established163
- Service connection established70
- Caused by the service-connected disability46
- Continuity of symptomatology since service25
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability22
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service13
- Already at the maximum schedular rating13
- Presumption of soundness not rebutted11
Most common reasons in denials
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service248
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim246
- No current diagnosis204
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis177
- Service records negative or silent101
- Current diagnosis established81
- Already at the maximum schedular rating50
- No continuity of symptomatology28
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 Jennifer Hwa decisions
Granted
Private treatment records confirm stroke and residuals.; VA examiner found hypertension to be the most likely causal pathology.; No contrary medical opinion on secondary service connection.
Current cervical spine pathology established; In-service injury (fall) confirmed by STRs; Treating chiropractor's opinion found probative and linked condition to service; VA opinions found inadequate for failing to address lay testimony and in-service injury; Benefit of the doubt applied due to approximate balance of evidence
Private medical opinion from treating provider found more probative; Opinion linked sleep apnea to PTSD based on medical literature and Veteran's history; Resolved doubt in Veteran's favor
Denied
No in-service diagnosis or treatment for right ankle condition; VA examiner opined condition not related to service; Veteran's lay statements not competent to support etiology
March 2013 rating decision was final; no timely appeal or new and material evidence within one year.; Failure in VA's duty to assist does not constitute CUE.; Original 10 percent rating for generalized anxiety disorder was not clearly erroneous.
VA examiner found >50% obstruction bilaterally, but no polyps or complete unilateral obstruction.; DC 6522 criteria for higher rating require polyps or complete unilateral obstruction.; Rhinitis is specifically listed under DC 6522 and cannot be rated by analogy.
Research your Judge Jennifer Hwa 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 (2017–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.