Veterans Law Judge
Judge John J. Crowley: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge John J. Crowley signed 9,000 Board decisions covering 16,987 condition issues. The judge granted 21.6% of those issues, denied 49.0% and remanded 26.5%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.0% and remanded 46.7%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
9,000
2017–2026
Issues decided
16,987
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
21.6%
Board, same conditions: 20.0%
Issues remanded
26.5%
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 | 1,407 | 18.2% | 17.3% | 28.8% | 51.3% |
| Hearing loss | 917 | 37.1% | 19.3% | 13.3% | 34.8% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 792 | 29.7% | 28.9% | 23.1% | 38.2% |
| Tinnitus | 724 | 52.1% | 39.5% | 8.1% | 22.9% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 618 | 22.8% | 26.3% | 27.3% | 50.6% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 609 | 19.9% | 18.6% | 29.1% | 48.3% |
| Hypertension | 535 | 21.3% | 17.1% | 25.0% | 49.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 443 | 17.2% | 14.3% | 27.5% | 53.3% |
| Ankle impairment | 366 | 21.0% | 16.8% | 25.1% | 50.7% |
| Hip impairment | 365 | 10.4% | 14.4% | 31.2% | 54.0% |
| Migraine | 362 | 28.7% | 30.2% | 21.8% | 42.4% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 315 | 17.8% | 20.7% | 21.3% | 46.2% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 277 | 19.1% | 20.0% | 17.0% | 40.3% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 238 | 24.8% | 20.5% | 29.8% | 51.8% |
| Cervical spine limitation of motion | 225 | 16.9% | 13.1% | 28.4% | 58.7% |
Judge John J. Crowley's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 334 | 26.9% | 38.0% | 47.0% |
| 2018 | 989 | 33.5% | 53.9% | 43.7% |
| 2019 | 1,082 | 38.7% | 57.3% | 34.9% |
| 2020 | 1,057 | 35.3% | 54.5% | 28.4% |
| 2021 | 1,143 | 38.1% | 53.2% | 28.9% |
| 2022 | 1,039 | 39.8% | 49.4% | 33.2% |
| 2023 | 1,084 | 39.4% | 51.9% | 29.2% |
| 2024 | 1,075 | 34.0% | 51.0% | 23.8% |
| 2025 | 856 | 24.9% | 57.7% | 23.2% |
| 2026 | 341 | 29.3% | 54.0% | 20.8% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge John J. Crowley's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established225
- In-service noise exposure conceded114
- Service connection established91
- Continuity of symptomatology since service44
- Caused by the service-connected disability39
- Severance of service connection was improper29
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service27
- Criteria for service connection met23
Most common reasons in denials
- Service records negative or silent522
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service463
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim379
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis340
- No current diagnosis234
- Current diagnosis established136
- No continuity of symptomatology57
- Continuity of symptomatology since service55
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 John J. Crowley decisions
Granted
Bilateral dry eye syndrome requires treatment with artificial tears.; Diagnostic Code 6025 contemplates disorders of the lacrimal apparatus.; Rated by analogy under Diagnostic Codes 6099-6025.
Evidence in equipoise; Benefit of the doubt resolved in veteran's favor; Noise exposure during service considered
AOJ found diagnosis of bulging disc L5-S1; AOJ found qualifying in-service event/complaints of low back pain; Private medical opinion linked back disability to combat engineer duties; Evidence found in equipoise; Benefit of the doubt applied
Denied
Objective clinical findings and VA treatment records outweigh subjective assertions of total impairment.; No evidence of total social and occupational impairment as required for 100% rating.; Symptoms did not demonstrate gross impairment in thought processes, communication, or daily living activities.
Service treatment records silent regarding cardiac conditions during service.; Condition first appeared post-service, approximately 16 years after separation.; VA examiner opined condition was less likely than not caused by toxic exposure, citing lack of direct scientific evidence and presence of alternative risk factors (smoking, alcohol).
Veteran's statements regarding sleep apnea inconsistent with treatment records; Credibility concerns raised by conflicting accounts of sleep study; No evidence of nexus to service or service-connected disability
Research your Judge John J. Crowley case
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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.