Veterans Law Judge
Judge Kathleen K. Gallagher: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2017, Veterans Law Judge Kathleen K. Gallagher signed 321 Board decisions covering 658 condition issues. The judge granted 13.1% of those issues, denied 28.9% and remanded 51.1%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.2% and remanded 48.7%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
321
2017–2017
Issues decided
658
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
13.1%
Board, same conditions: 19.2%
Issues remanded
51.1%
Board, same conditions: 48.7%
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 | 51 | 3.9% | 17.3% | 70.6% | 51.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 38 | 5.3% | 20.7% | 63.2% | 46.0% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 36 | 19.4% | 28.9% | 38.9% | 38.1% |
| Hypertension | 22 | 13.6% | 17.2% | 45.5% | 48.7% |
| Hearing loss | 22 | 13.6% | 19.5% | 27.3% | 34.6% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 20 | 15.0% | 26.2% | 30.0% | 50.3% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Kathleen K. Gallagher's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established4
- In-service noise exposure conceded2
- New and material evidence submitted to reopen claim2
- Veteran served in thailand during vietnam era2
Most common reasons in denials
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service19
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim13
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis11
- No current diagnosis6
- Current diagnosis established4
- Continuity of symptomatology since service3
- Caused by the service-connected disability2
- Evidence preponderates against service connection2
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 Kathleen K. Gallagher decisions
Granted
Reduction based on single VA examination; No clear evidence of sustained improvement; Disability level did not clearly improve under ordinary conditions
Evidence in equipoise regarding causation/aggravation.; Benefit of the doubt applied in Veteran's favor.; Private physician and November 2011 VA examiner supported nexus.
RLS rated under DC 8103 (convulsive tics); Evidence supports moderate RLS based on periodic limb movement index; Doubt resolved in Veteran's favor for 10% rating
Denied
No competent evidence of in-service onset or relation to service.; Veteran's lay testimony not competent for etiology.; VA examiner opined less likely than not related to service.
Evidence did not support rating higher than 20% under DC 5284.; Disability remained moderately severe, not approximating severe impairment.; No other applicable diagnostic codes for higher rating found.
Veteran's reported symptoms and activities did not consistently meet criteria for higher ratings.; VA examinations showed inconsistent findings regarding severity and impact on functioning.; Current ratings of 50% and 70% were deemed adequate based on available evidence.
Research your Judge Kathleen K. Gallagher 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 (2017–2017) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.