Veterans Law Judge
Judge Jonathan Hager: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Jonathan Hager signed 10,576 Board decisions covering 23,196 condition issues. The judge granted 47.6% of those issues, denied 20.0% and remanded 28.6%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.9% and remanded 47.0%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
10,576
2017–2026
Issues decided
23,196
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
47.6%
Board, same conditions: 19.9%
Issues remanded
28.6%
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 | 1,744 | 52.2% | 16.8% | 26.5% | 51.4% |
| Hearing loss | 1,233 | 44.8% | 19.2% | 14.7% | 34.8% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 1,080 | 57.3% | 28.5% | 16.7% | 38.4% |
| Tinnitus | 938 | 60.9% | 39.3% | 9.7% | 22.9% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 937 | 69.7% | 19.9% | 15.8% | 46.5% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 749 | 65.7% | 25.7% | 22.0% | 50.7% |
| Hypertension | 691 | 31.3% | 17.0% | 39.8% | 48.9% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 563 | 56.3% | 18.2% | 20.6% | 48.4% |
| Migraine | 530 | 69.4% | 29.6% | 16.8% | 42.5% |
| Shoulder impairment | 488 | 54.1% | 13.8% | 23.0% | 53.4% |
| Major depressive disorder | 480 | 77.1% | 33.7% | 12.9% | 34.6% |
| Ankle impairment | 419 | 60.6% | 16.3% | 21.5% | 50.8% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 400 | 52.5% | 20.2% | 25.8% | 52.0% |
| Hip impairment | 400 | 51.2% | 13.9% | 23.0% | 54.1% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 351 | 36.5% | 19.8% | 27.6% | 40.2% |
Judge Jonathan Hager's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1,040 | 44.0% | 32.5% | 50.0% |
| 2018 | 1,263 | 58.9% | 32.5% | 48.0% |
| 2019 | 1,175 | 62.0% | 30.9% | 47.9% |
| 2020 | 1,074 | 62.7% | 33.1% | 36.3% |
| 2021 | 1,076 | 66.8% | 30.7% | 28.3% |
| 2022 | 1,006 | 63.3% | 30.5% | 34.4% |
| 2023 | 1,078 | 70.6% | 31.4% | 29.2% |
| 2024 | 1,180 | 70.3% | 28.6% | 27.0% |
| 2025 | 1,198 | 77.1% | 26.8% | 15.8% |
| 2026 | 486 | 75.5% | 23.7% | 15.2% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Jonathan Hager's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established1,120
- Evidence evenly balanced357
- Service connection established141
- Caused by the service-connected disability76
- Evidence evenly balanced regarding onset in service71
- Evidence is at least evenly balanced71
- Evidence at least evenly balanced68
- Evidence approximately evenly balanced58
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim266
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service140
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis136
- No current diagnosis131
- Current diagnosis established113
- Service records negative or silent101
- Already at the maximum schedular rating77
- No continuity of symptomatology41
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 Jonathan Hager decisions
Granted
Favorable finding from April 2025 VA examination regarding current disability.; Competent and credible lay evidence of symptom onset during service and continuity of symptoms.; Inadequate VA opinion due to failure to consider lay evidence and progression of severe arthritis.; Reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran due to equipoise in evidence.
Credible lay statements regarding in-service symptoms and continuity of symptoms since service.; Evidence evenly balanced regarding in-service onset.; Benefit of the doubt resolved in Veteran's favor.
Current disability established by credible testimony of pain causing impairment in earning capacity.; In-service injury established by STRs showing right trapezius muscle strain in May 1994.; Nexus established by credible and consistent lay testimony regarding pain and impairment since service, with doubt resolved in veteran's favor.
Denied
No current diagnosis of left lower extremity radiculopathy.; No symptoms causing impairment in earning capacity related to left lower extremity radiculopathy.; VA examinations and treatment records did not support the claim.
Criteria for higher than 40% not met; Symptoms did not approximate severe incomplete paralysis
Audiometric thresholds did not meet VA criteria for disability; Evidence persuasively weighs against the claim; Benefit of the doubt doctrine not applicable
Research your Judge Jonathan Hager 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.