Veterans Law Judge
Judge L. Barstow: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2018 to 2023, Veterans Law Judge L. Barstow signed 365 Board decisions covering 938 condition issues. The judge granted 14.6% of those issues, denied 36.8% and remanded 46.7%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.6% and remanded 47.9%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is close to it.
Decisions
365
2018–2023
Issues decided
938
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
14.6%
Board, same conditions: 19.6%
Issues remanded
46.7%
Board, same conditions: 47.9%
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 | 72 | 22.2% | 17.3% | 44.4% | 51.1% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 62 | 24.2% | 20.5% | 50.0% | 51.7% |
| Hearing loss | 48 | 8.3% | 19.5% | 33.3% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 39 | 23.1% | 28.9% | 33.3% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 37 | 8.1% | 20.7% | 45.9% | 46.1% |
| Hypertension | 36 | 13.9% | 17.2% | 63.9% | 48.7% |
| Tinnitus | 29 | 24.1% | 39.6% | 31.0% | 22.7% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 26 | 19.2% | 20.0% | 23.1% | 40.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 24 | 20.8% | 26.2% | 45.8% | 50.3% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 23 | 8.7% | 18.7% | 56.5% | 48.0% |
| Migraine | 23 | 21.7% | 30.2% | 26.1% | 42.2% |
| Ankle impairment | 21 | 9.5% | 16.9% | 47.6% | 50.4% |
Judge L. Barstow's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 47 | 36.2% | 57.4% | 66.0% |
| 2019 | 55 | 32.7% | 50.9% | 67.3% |
| 2020 | 127 | 28.3% | 50.4% | 51.2% |
| 2021 | 61 | 31.1% | 59.0% | 67.2% |
| 2022 | 74 | 33.8% | 51.4% | 51.4% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge L. Barstow's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established3
- New and material evidence received to reopen claim2
- Continuity of symptomatology since service2
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim25
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service18
- Service records negative or silent10
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis10
- No current diagnosis10
- Already at the maximum schedular rating4
- Current diagnosis established3
- No continuity of symptomatology2
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 L. Barstow decisions
Granted
Slight knee instability shown from service onward.; Reports of brace wearing to combat instability.; Claim filed within one year of service discharge.
Mild symptoms of nausea, diarrhea, and elevated bilirubin post-cholecystectomy.; Medical evidence more probative than Veteran's subjective complaints of increased symptomatology.; Resolving doubt in Veteran's favor, symptoms approximate criteria for 10 percent rating.
Credible lay statements and VA exam findings support increased rating.; Symptoms approximate criteria for 70 percent rating.; Doubt resolved in veteran's favor.
Denied
Competent medical evidence preponderates against service connection.; Alopecia primarily linked to non-service factors (relaxers, genetics, traction).; No medical literature supports causal relation between alopecia and migraine medication.
Veteran is a Persian Gulf veteran.; No objective indications of a qualifying chronic disability beyond existing service-connected asthma and PTSD.; No confirmed diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome.; Fatigue attributed to asthma and PTSD.
Evidence persuasively weighs against current disability; Service treatment records show normal findings; Lay statements regarding etiology found nonprobative
Research your Judge L. Barstow 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 (2018–2023) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.