Veterans Law Judge
Judge L. Chu: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2018 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge L. Chu signed 8,123 Board decisions covering 15,880 condition issues. The judge granted 13.3% of those issues, denied 27.8% and remanded 56.6%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.1% and remanded 46.6%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
8,123
2018–2026
Issues decided
15,880
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
13.3%
Board, same conditions: 20.1%
Issues remanded
56.6%
Board, same conditions: 46.6%
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 | 1,228 | 10.3% | 17.3% | 62.5% | 51.0% |
| Hearing loss | 831 | 13.1% | 19.5% | 42.4% | 34.5% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 663 | 21.3% | 28.9% | 47.7% | 38.0% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 564 | 15.4% | 26.3% | 64.5% | 50.2% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 552 | 13.8% | 20.7% | 56.2% | 46.0% |
| Tinnitus | 550 | 26.4% | 39.7% | 31.8% | 22.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 435 | 8.0% | 18.8% | 59.5% | 47.9% |
| Hypertension | 425 | 16.2% | 17.2% | 49.6% | 48.7% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 365 | 18.1% | 20.6% | 60.0% | 51.6% |
| Migraine | 354 | 17.8% | 30.3% | 57.3% | 42.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 350 | 6.9% | 14.4% | 63.7% | 52.9% |
| Hip impairment | 324 | 5.9% | 14.4% | 62.0% | 53.7% |
| Ankle impairment | 285 | 8.8% | 16.9% | 63.9% | 50.3% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 281 | 13.9% | 20.0% | 47.0% | 40.0% |
| Cervical spine limitation of motion | 221 | 3.6% | 13.3% | 73.8% | 58.2% |
Judge L. Chu's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 217 | 19.4% | 36.4% | 65.0% |
| 2019 | 1,085 | 22.3% | 37.6% | 69.0% |
| 2020 | 1,080 | 23.8% | 39.1% | 63.4% |
| 2021 | 845 | 23.9% | 39.8% | 59.4% |
| 2022 | 1,113 | 24.3% | 32.7% | 61.9% |
| 2023 | 1,035 | 21.4% | 36.8% | 58.6% |
| 2024 | 1,074 | 24.2% | 36.9% | 52.0% |
| 2025 | 1,287 | 24.8% | 44.1% | 46.4% |
| 2026 | 387 | 28.2% | 40.1% | 45.0% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge L. Chu's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established162
- Service connection established50
- Caused by the service-connected disability36
- Continuity of symptomatology since service20
- In-service noise exposure conceded12
- Criteria for service connection met12
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service11
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability10
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim239
- No current diagnosis204
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service161
- Service records negative or silent137
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis115
- Current diagnosis established95
- Already at the maximum schedular rating45
- No continuity of symptomatology32
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. Chu decisions
Granted
Suicidal ideation and difficulty adapting to stress noted in private evaluation; Symptoms approximated criteria for 70% rating; Benefit of the doubt applied for 70% rating
Veteran's MOS indicates probability of acoustic noise exposure; Credible testimony regarding flight line noise exposure without hearing protection; Service treatment records show decrease in hearing from entrance to separation; Previous VA opinions found inadequate due to reliance on contradictory IOM findings and improper use of negative evidence
New and relevant evidence submitted by wife; Evidence in approximate balance; Benefit of the doubt applied
Denied
September 2024 VA exam showed flexion limited to 105 degrees.; Evidence persuasively weighs against a rating higher than 10 percent.; Higher ratings require flexion limited to 30 degrees or less.
Veteran's GERD symptoms did not meet criteria for 30% rating.; No evidence of persistently recurrent epigastric distress, dysphagia, pyrosis, regurgitation, and substernal pain.; No evidence of considerable impairment of health.
Current diagnosis of lumbosacral strain acknowledged.; In-service event of acute lower back pain in October 1999 acknowledged.; VA addendum opinions found in-service condition acute and resolved.; Current symptoms attributed to post-service occupational overuse.; Evidence insufficient to show chronicity or continuity related to service.; VA examiner opined condition less likely than not related to service.; Private opinion found inadequate due to lack of examination and conclusory reasoning.; Evidence persuasively weighs against service connection.
Research your Judge L. Chu 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 (2018–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.