Veterans Law Judge
Judge L. Howell: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge L. Howell signed 7,095 Board decisions covering 13,818 condition issues. The judge granted 11.0% of those issues, denied 59.9% and remanded 26.7%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.8% and remanded 47.2%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
7,095
2017–2026
Issues decided
13,818
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
11.0%
Board, same conditions: 19.8%
Issues remanded
26.7%
Board, same conditions: 47.2%
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 | 1,100 | 6.5% | 17.3% | 25.9% | 51.3% |
| Hearing loss | 835 | 21.6% | 19.5% | 15.3% | 34.7% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 606 | 15.3% | 29.0% | 24.8% | 38.2% |
| Tinnitus | 543 | 42.4% | 39.6% | 10.3% | 22.9% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 515 | 7.0% | 20.8% | 26.0% | 46.2% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 483 | 5.0% | 26.4% | 29.4% | 50.5% |
| Hypertension | 473 | 9.9% | 17.2% | 24.9% | 48.9% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 397 | 9.8% | 18.7% | 24.4% | 48.2% |
| Migraine | 338 | 13.0% | 30.3% | 23.1% | 42.3% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 315 | 6.7% | 20.7% | 33.7% | 51.9% |
| Hip impairment | 298 | 5.7% | 14.4% | 26.2% | 54.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 288 | 2.4% | 14.4% | 28.8% | 53.2% |
| Ankle impairment | 271 | 7.4% | 16.9% | 27.3% | 50.6% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 258 | 7.8% | 20.1% | 22.5% | 40.2% |
| Major depressive disorder | 157 | 20.4% | 34.7% | 15.9% | 34.3% |
Judge L. Howell's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 177 | 25.4% | 52.0% | 39.5% |
| 2018 | 775 | 25.0% | 66.1% | 30.3% |
| 2019 | 1,004 | 24.1% | 66.6% | 33.6% |
| 2020 | 982 | 19.7% | 72.3% | 26.4% |
| 2021 | 853 | 19.0% | 63.8% | 32.9% |
| 2022 | 741 | 19.2% | 62.6% | 37.7% |
| 2023 | 709 | 20.3% | 54.9% | 41.6% |
| 2024 | 670 | 20.4% | 56.3% | 34.0% |
| 2025 | 845 | 16.4% | 56.3% | 27.7% |
| 2026 | 339 | 16.8% | 58.7% | 24.2% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge L. Howell's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established194
- Continuous symptoms since service65
- Presumptive service connection under 38 c.f.r. § 3.303(b)55
- Service connection established48
- Continuity of symptomatology since service37
- In-service noise exposure conceded35
- Continuous symptoms since service separation28
- Presumptive service connection granted27
Most common reasons in denials
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service454
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis354
- No continuity of symptomatology275
- No current diagnosis250
- Current diagnosis established189
- Service records negative or silent165
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim88
- Continuity of symptomatology since service81
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. Howell decisions
Granted
Prior rating criteria more favorable; Symptoms met criteria for severe IBS; Daily diarrhea with constant abdominal distress and weight loss
PFB confirmed in service treatment records; No-shave profile documented; Credible and competent lay testimony regarding continuity of symptoms
Current severity of OSA meets criteria for 50% rating due to CPAP use.; Benefit of the doubt applied due to inability to determine precise pre-aggravation baseline severity.; Pre-aggravation baseline rating determined to be 0%.
Denied
No diagnosis of hypertension during appeal pendency; August 2004 VA note indicated no history of hypertension; October 2023 private note failed to indicate hypertension
Multiple VA examiners opined that PTSD symptoms did not cause total occupational impairment.; VA examiners found the Veteran capable of functioning in an occupational environment with reduced reliability.; Board afforded more probative value to VA opinions over private consultant's opinion.
Failure to attend VA examinations without good cause; No current diagnosis or symptoms of neck disorder in record; VA met duty to assist
Research your Judge L. Howell 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.