Veterans Law Judge
Judge John Z. Jones: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge John Z. Jones signed 8,170 Board decisions covering 16,982 condition issues. The judge granted 22.4% of those issues, denied 34.5% and remanded 41.2%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.9% and remanded 46.9%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
8,170
2017–2026
Issues decided
16,982
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
22.4%
Board, same conditions: 19.9%
Issues remanded
41.2%
Board, same conditions: 46.9%
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 | 1,317 | 20.6% | 17.2% | 42.1% | 51.2% |
| Hearing loss | 906 | 27.5% | 19.4% | 29.4% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 750 | 29.2% | 28.9% | 35.5% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 636 | 42.1% | 39.6% | 19.8% | 22.8% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 583 | 22.8% | 20.6% | 39.5% | 46.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 557 | 31.1% | 26.2% | 43.4% | 50.4% |
| Hypertension | 530 | 18.5% | 17.1% | 46.6% | 48.8% |
| Shoulder impairment | 487 | 15.6% | 14.3% | 43.5% | 53.1% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 410 | 21.2% | 18.6% | 38.5% | 48.1% |
| Migraine | 383 | 29.8% | 30.2% | 35.5% | 42.2% |
| Hip impairment | 345 | 17.4% | 14.3% | 45.2% | 53.9% |
| Ankle impairment | 330 | 17.6% | 16.8% | 40.0% | 50.5% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 316 | 25.3% | 20.5% | 48.4% | 51.7% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 262 | 21.8% | 19.9% | 35.5% | 40.1% |
| Major depressive disorder | 187 | 34.8% | 34.6% | 29.9% | 34.2% |
Judge John Z. Jones's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 178 | 15.2% | 40.4% | 56.7% |
| 2018 | 450 | 21.3% | 43.1% | 60.4% |
| 2019 | 1,178 | 30.0% | 42.9% | 56.8% |
| 2020 | 1,197 | 35.8% | 41.4% | 49.6% |
| 2021 | 1,143 | 37.0% | 41.9% | 41.4% |
| 2022 | 972 | 42.8% | 34.7% | 44.7% |
| 2023 | 960 | 39.5% | 39.3% | 44.2% |
| 2024 | 626 | 40.7% | 44.9% | 37.2% |
| 2025 | 1,079 | 41.2% | 46.4% | 35.8% |
| 2026 | 387 | 43.7% | 44.7% | 31.3% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge John Z. Jones's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established333
- Continuity of symptomatology since service103
- Service connection established97
- In-service noise exposure conceded68
- Caused by the service-connected disability55
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service30
- Criteria for service connection met15
- Already at the maximum schedular rating14
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim331
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service238
- No current diagnosis201
- Service records negative or silent167
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis144
- Current diagnosis established116
- Already at the maximum schedular rating59
- No continuity of symptomatology42
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 Z. Jones decisions
Granted
Favorable finding of in-service exposure to hazardous noise; Current diagnosis of tinnitus; Veteran competent to report symptoms; Evidence in relative equipoise; Benefit of the doubt applied
Evidence in relative equipoise; Veteran's testimony regarding harassment found credible; VA examiner opinions failed to address connection to stressors
Evidence in equipoise regarding hypertension's contribution to death; Benefit of the doubt applied in favor of the appellant; Private opinion found a direct causal nexus between hypertension and cardiopulmonary arrest
Denied
Evidence did not demonstrate total occupational and social impairment before December 4, 2024.; July 2024 VA exam indicated symptoms consistent with 50% rating.; December 2024 VA exam indicated total impairment.
No diagnosis of binge eating disorder in records; Veteran not competent to self-diagnose; Assertions not probative evidence
June 2019 VA exam found symptoms consistent with 50% rating; Veteran's statements did not support 70% rating for the earlier period; No current suicidal ideation, violence, or near-constant panic attacks
Research your Judge John Z. Jones 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.