Veterans Law Judge
Judge Laura E. Collins: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2018 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Laura E. Collins signed 4,212 Board decisions covering 8,949 condition issues. The judge granted 26.4% of those issues, denied 32.5% and remanded 38.4%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.9% and remanded 46.9%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
4,212
2018–2026
Issues decided
8,949
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
26.4%
Board, same conditions: 19.9%
Issues remanded
38.4%
Board, same conditions: 46.9%
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 | 751 | 26.6% | 17.2% | 39.0% | 51.2% |
| Hearing loss | 446 | 16.8% | 19.5% | 27.8% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 377 | 40.3% | 28.8% | 24.9% | 38.2% |
| Tinnitus | 325 | 41.8% | 39.6% | 17.2% | 22.8% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 301 | 35.2% | 26.2% | 43.5% | 50.4% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 268 | 27.6% | 20.6% | 34.3% | 46.1% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 265 | 23.0% | 18.6% | 36.6% | 48.1% |
| Hypertension | 245 | 23.7% | 17.1% | 44.5% | 48.8% |
| Ankle impairment | 195 | 14.4% | 16.9% | 41.5% | 50.5% |
| Hip impairment | 192 | 17.7% | 14.3% | 39.6% | 53.9% |
| Migraine | 185 | 48.1% | 30.1% | 32.4% | 42.2% |
| Shoulder impairment | 185 | 22.7% | 14.3% | 40.5% | 53.1% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 160 | 28.1% | 19.9% | 30.6% | 40.1% |
| Cervical spine limitation of motion | 129 | 22.5% | 13.1% | 45.0% | 58.5% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 124 | 28.2% | 20.5% | 41.1% | 51.7% |
Judge Laura E. Collins's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 234 | 27.8% | 43.6% | 50.0% |
| 2019 | 27 | 37.0% | 29.6% | 59.3% |
| 2020 | 465 | 36.1% | 49.2% | 45.2% |
| 2021 | 559 | 47.6% | 41.0% | 46.9% |
| 2022 | 742 | 44.7% | 39.9% | 48.0% |
| 2023 | 751 | 41.4% | 44.2% | 49.5% |
| 2024 | 642 | 43.3% | 38.5% | 38.5% |
| 2025 | 651 | 49.5% | 39.0% | 35.5% |
| 2026 | 141 | 53.9% | 42.6% | 30.5% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Laura E. Collins's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established229
- Service connection established59
- Continuity of symptomatology since service58
- Caused by the service-connected disability29
- Service records negative or silent15
- In-service noise exposure conceded14
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service12
- New and material evidence received to reopen claim11
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim164
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service108
- No current diagnosis99
- Service records negative or silent92
- Current diagnosis established73
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis71
- Already at the maximum schedular rating25
- Evidence persuasively weighs against service connection12
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 Laura E. Collins decisions
Granted
Benefit of the doubt applied; Headaches approximate prostrating attacks occurring once or twice per week; Higher rating not warranted due to lack of severe economic inadaptability
Private psychological opinion found credible and probative.; Opinion linked disorder to service-related stressors.; Evidence in approximate balance.; Benefit of the doubt applied in Veteran's favor.
Competent and credible lay testimony regarding inability to cross legs.; Benefit of the doubt applied due to approximate balance of evidence.; VA examiner's finding of no limitation contradicted by Veteran's credible testimony.
Denied
VA treatment records did not show reports of or treatment for headaches during the applicable period.; January 2021 VA examiner found characteristic prostrating attacks once a month, but not very prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.; Veteran's testimony indicated 2-3 migraines per month requiring rest, impacting work once per week, but not resulting in unpaid leave or severe economic inadaptability.
Evidence persuasively weighs against increased rating.; VA examination showed full extension and no significant impairment.; Veteran's testimony focused more on left lower extremity pain.
No nexus to service established; Hypertension onset long after service; VA examination found less likely than not caused by TERA
Research your Judge Laura E. Collins 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.