Veterans Law Judge
Judge Kate E. Kovarovic: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2019 to 2022, Veterans Law Judge Kate E. Kovarovic signed 261 Board decisions covering 561 condition issues. The judge granted 11.1% of those issues, denied 41.4% and remanded 44.6%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.7% and remanded 46.9%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
261
2019–2022
Issues decided
561
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
11.1%
Board, same conditions: 19.7%
Issues remanded
44.6%
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 | 54 | 11.1% | 17.3% | 42.6% | 51.1% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 33 | 24.2% | 28.9% | 48.5% | 38.1% |
| Hearing loss | 28 | 10.7% | 19.5% | 35.7% | 34.6% |
Judge Kate E. Kovarovic's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 67 | 20.9% | 56.7% | 58.2% |
| 2020 | 69 | 21.7% | 55.1% | 46.4% |
| 2021 | 107 | 27.1% | 53.3% | 45.8% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Kate E. Kovarovic's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established2
- Continuous symptoms since service2
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim23
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service14
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis10
- No current diagnosis8
- Service records negative or silent6
- Continuity of symptomatology since service3
- Current diagnosis established2
- Veteran's symptoms do not meet criteria for 100% rating2
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 Kate E. Kovarovic decisions
Granted
Private medical opinion found condition more likely than not related to service and aggravated by service-connected right hand disorder.; VA opinion found inadequate due to incorrect factual premise and lack of nexus without speculation.; Benefit of the doubt applied in favor of the Veteran.
Conflicting medical opinions regarding PTSD diagnosis; VA exam diagnosed anxiety/mood disorders; private exam diagnosed PTSD/MDD; Evidence in equipoise, resolved doubt in Veteran's favor
Evidence in equipoise, resolved in Veteran's favor; Symptoms approximated 70% rating criteria; Conflicting opinions from VA examiner and private psychologist
Denied
Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude gainful employment.; Nonservice-connected conditions primarily cause occupational limitations.; Veteran possesses occupational experience, skills, and education for less physically demanding work.
Service treatment records silent regarding neck complaints.; No current diagnosis of neck disorder.; No indication of nexus to service.
Current bilateral hearing loss established; Onset not within presumptive period; No nexus to service established; Lay testimony regarding noise exposure insufficient; VA examinations negative for nexus
Research your Judge Kate E. Kovarovic 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 (2019–2022) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.