Veterans Law Judge
Judge Joshua Castillo: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2020 to 2025, Veterans Law Judge Joshua Castillo signed 367 Board decisions covering 868 condition issues. The judge granted 26.2% of those issues, denied 26.0% and remanded 44.2%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.2% and remanded 48.2%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
367
2020–2025
Issues decided
868
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
26.2%
Board, same conditions: 19.2%
Issues remanded
44.2%
Board, same conditions: 48.2%
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 | 49 | 30.6% | 17.3% | 38.8% | 51.1% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 48 | 39.6% | 28.9% | 22.9% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 38 | 23.7% | 20.7% | 47.4% | 46.1% |
| Hip impairment | 37 | 24.3% | 14.3% | 32.4% | 53.8% |
| Hearing loss | 34 | 41.2% | 19.5% | 26.5% | 34.6% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 31 | 41.9% | 20.5% | 22.6% | 51.7% |
| Hypertension | 27 | 18.5% | 17.2% | 55.6% | 48.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 25 | 40.0% | 26.2% | 44.0% | 50.3% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 21 | 23.8% | 20.0% | 42.9% | 40.1% |
| Tinnitus | 21 | 52.4% | 39.6% | 19.0% | 22.8% |
| Shoulder impairment | 21 | 19.0% | 14.3% | 33.3% | 53.0% |
Judge Joshua Castillo's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 34 | 44.1% | 52.9% | 70.6% |
| 2021 | 97 | 54.6% | 40.2% | 64.9% |
| 2022 | 228 | 41.2% | 40.8% | 48.2% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Joshua Castillo's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established13
- In-service noise exposure conceded6
- Service connection established6
- Caused by the service-connected disability3
- Continuity of symptomatology since service3
- Credible lay and medical evidence2
- Lay statements found credible and consistent with service2
- VA acknowledged in-service acoustic trauma2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim18
- No current diagnosis8
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis4
- Already at the maximum schedular rating4
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service3
- Less likely than not related to service3
- Current diagnosis established3
- Symptoms more closely approximated 30% rating criteria2
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 Joshua Castillo decisions
Granted
Pes planus condition started in service; Aggravated by service; Evidence in relative equipoise; Veteran's competent statements credible; Inadequate negative nexus opinion from March 2018
Insomnia disorder rated under Diagnostic Code 9400.; Symptoms including hopelessness and suicidal ideation support 70% rating.; Private psychological evaluation supported the 70% rating.
Evidence supports 40% rating for severe incomplete paralysis; Veteran's left side is minor extremity; Normal muscle strength and reflexes noted
Denied
VA examiner opined causes of death not correlated to service-connected disabilities or service.; Service treatment records silent for causes of death; diagnoses occurred decades post-service.; Private nexus letter's opinion regarding smoking and COPD/hypertension was outweighed by VA opinions.
Evidence does not support total social impairment; Conflicting evidence regarding social relationships; Absent total social impairment, 100% rating not warranted
Migraines rated under Diagnostic Code 8100.; Criteria for 50% rating met with frequent, prostrating attacks.; Benefit of the doubt applied to grant the 50% rating.
Research your Judge Joshua Castillo 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 (2020–2025) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.