Veterans Law Judge
Judge Kristy L. Zadora: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Kristy L. Zadora signed 7,015 Board decisions covering 13,975 condition issues. The judge granted 16.6% of those issues, denied 34.5% and remanded 46.4%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.1% and remanded 46.7%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is close to it.
Decisions
7,015
2017–2026
Issues decided
13,975
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
16.6%
Board, same conditions: 20.1%
Issues remanded
46.4%
Board, same conditions: 46.7%
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 | 1,019 | 14.3% | 17.3% | 46.4% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 726 | 10.6% | 19.6% | 40.8% | 34.5% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 606 | 26.4% | 28.9% | 33.3% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 565 | 16.1% | 20.7% | 42.7% | 46.1% |
| Tinnitus | 500 | 18.0% | 39.8% | 35.8% | 22.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 442 | 29.4% | 26.2% | 48.4% | 50.3% |
| Hypertension | 395 | 14.4% | 17.2% | 52.4% | 48.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 317 | 19.6% | 18.6% | 43.2% | 48.1% |
| Hip impairment | 305 | 9.5% | 14.4% | 49.8% | 53.8% |
| Migraine | 302 | 21.9% | 30.2% | 43.4% | 42.2% |
| Shoulder impairment | 298 | 9.1% | 14.4% | 53.7% | 53.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 296 | 19.9% | 20.5% | 52.7% | 51.7% |
| Ankle impairment | 253 | 9.9% | 16.9% | 50.2% | 50.4% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 233 | 28.3% | 19.9% | 39.5% | 40.1% |
| Major depressive disorder | 199 | 33.7% | 34.6% | 32.2% | 34.2% |
Judge Kristy L. Zadora's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 301 | 25.6% | 50.8% | 53.2% |
| 2019 | 225 | 25.8% | 45.8% | 52.0% |
| 2020 | 964 | 24.4% | 46.2% | 48.8% |
| 2021 | 981 | 28.0% | 42.9% | 50.6% |
| 2022 | 997 | 31.4% | 40.6% | 54.5% |
| 2023 | 996 | 26.2% | 43.3% | 50.4% |
| 2024 | 1,090 | 30.2% | 43.1% | 42.9% |
| 2025 | 1,070 | 33.9% | 47.1% | 41.8% |
| 2026 | 388 | 32.5% | 44.6% | 46.6% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Kristy L. Zadora's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established142
- Caused by the service-connected disability47
- No contrary opinion of record36
- Already at the maximum schedular rating35
- Service connection established33
- Service records negative or silent20
- In-service noise exposure conceded20
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service17
Most common reasons in denials
- Service records negative or silent331
- No current diagnosis251
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service246
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim149
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis101
- Already at the maximum schedular rating75
- No continuity of symptomatology44
- Current diagnosis established32
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 Kristy L. Zadora decisions
Granted
Reduction in rating from 100% to 30% was improper.; VA failed to demonstrate sustained improvement.; VA failed to address ability to function under ordinary conditions.; Rating reduction void ab initio.
Veteran has current diagnosis of tinnitus.; MOS as Infantryman indicates high probability of noise exposure.; Probative private opinion found tinnitus more likely than not related to service.; Inadequate VA opinion found negative nexus based on absence of treatment.
Probative private medical opinion found obstructive sleep apnea secondary to service-connected foot condition via obesity.; VA opinion found inadequate for failing to address secondary aggravation and obesity intermediate step.; No sufficient basis to reject probative private opinion.
Denied
Service treatment records showed a 1969 thoracic sprain and back muscle strain, but were otherwise negative for lumbar spine complaints.; Post-service records showed no objective lumbar spine disorder until 1992 surgery, over 20 years after service.; VA examiner opined less likely than not related to in-service injury due to lack of continuity of symptoms and prolonged period without treatment.; VA examiner opined less likely than not proximately due to diabetes mellitus, citing lack of evidence supporting this link.
No verified in-service stressor for PTSD.; Lay testimony regarding stressors found not credible due to inconsistencies and lack of detail.; No in-service treatment or diagnosis for psychiatric conditions.; Post-service diagnosis occurred more than one year after discharge.
Did not meet criteria for higher rating; Failed to show prostrating attacks prior to Jan 14, 2025; Failed to show frequent prostrating attacks after Jan 14, 2025
Research your Judge Kristy L. Zadora 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.