Veterans Law Judge
Judge M. C. Graham: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge M. C. Graham signed 7,637 Board decisions covering 14,718 condition issues. The judge granted 19.3% of those issues, denied 35.0% and remanded 42.0%. 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 close to the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
7,637
2017–2026
Issues decided
14,718
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
19.3%
Board, same conditions: 19.9%
Issues remanded
42.0%
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 | 1,157 | 13.6% | 17.3% | 48.1% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 791 | 26.4% | 19.4% | 25.9% | 34.7% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 706 | 25.4% | 28.9% | 33.9% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 510 | 48.0% | 39.5% | 14.5% | 22.8% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 495 | 22.0% | 26.3% | 51.5% | 50.3% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 479 | 23.4% | 20.6% | 39.0% | 46.1% |
| Hypertension | 441 | 18.4% | 17.1% | 47.2% | 48.8% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 406 | 15.0% | 18.7% | 45.3% | 48.1% |
| Migraine | 332 | 24.1% | 30.2% | 36.7% | 42.2% |
| Shoulder impairment | 303 | 9.9% | 14.3% | 44.9% | 53.1% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 264 | 22.0% | 20.5% | 42.0% | 51.8% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 263 | 22.8% | 19.9% | 31.9% | 40.1% |
| Hip impairment | 257 | 13.6% | 14.3% | 44.0% | 53.9% |
| Ankle impairment | 250 | 15.2% | 16.9% | 48.0% | 50.4% |
| Major depressive disorder | 206 | 34.0% | 34.6% | 32.0% | 34.2% |
Judge M. C. Graham's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 671 | 17.9% | 47.2% | 48.3% |
| 2018 | 962 | 30.5% | 49.1% | 43.5% |
| 2019 | 895 | 36.9% | 41.3% | 45.1% |
| 2020 | 859 | 32.0% | 43.7% | 43.7% |
| 2021 | 758 | 31.5% | 40.5% | 41.6% |
| 2022 | 749 | 31.5% | 41.8% | 47.0% |
| 2023 | 743 | 26.6% | 42.1% | 52.1% |
| 2024 | 724 | 26.0% | 40.5% | 49.6% |
| 2025 | 935 | 26.7% | 42.9% | 44.5% |
| 2026 | 341 | 34.6% | 48.7% | 35.2% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge M. C. Graham's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established182
- Caused by the service-connected disability56
- Service connection established51
- Continuity of symptomatology since service37
- In-service noise exposure conceded29
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim23
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service18
- Criteria for service connection met15
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim333
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service176
- No current diagnosis154
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis123
- Service records negative or silent118
- Current diagnosis established71
- Continuity of symptomatology since service58
- No continuity of symptomatology55
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 M. C. Graham decisions
Granted
Private opinion found PTSD contributed to metabolic dysfunction.; Conflicting opinions between VA and private examiners.; Benefit of the doubt resolved in Veteran's favor.
Minimum 10 percent rating warranted for pacemaker; Evidence does not support higher rating for arrhythmias; No pyramiding with coronary artery disease rating
Evidence in equipoise; Benefit of doubt applied; Private treating physician opinion found probative
Denied
No competent medical evidence linking current disability to in-service event; No duty-to-assist error regarding cancelled VA examination; Record weighs against service connection
No presumptive link to Camp Lejeune exposure under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(f); VA examiner opined less likely than not related to service; Lack of in-service diagnosis and symptoms onset years after service
No in-service diagnosis, complaints, or treatment for sleep apnea.; Separation examination did not note sleep apnea.; No medical evidence supports veteran's assertion of in-service injury related to sleep apnea.
Research your Judge M. C. Graham 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.