Veterans Law Judge
Judge M. Donohue: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge M. Donohue signed 6,252 Board decisions covering 12,053 condition issues. The judge granted 14.6% of those issues, denied 31.7% and remanded 51.4%. 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 below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
6,252
2017–2026
Issues decided
12,053
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
14.6%
Board, same conditions: 19.9%
Issues remanded
51.4%
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 | 873 | 13.6% | 17.3% | 55.8% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 704 | 9.8% | 19.6% | 38.1% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 563 | 20.6% | 28.9% | 44.8% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 524 | 21.6% | 39.7% | 32.8% | 22.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 486 | 20.8% | 26.3% | 53.7% | 50.3% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 383 | 11.7% | 20.7% | 52.7% | 46.0% |
| Hypertension | 363 | 14.6% | 17.2% | 51.8% | 48.7% |
| Shoulder impairment | 307 | 9.8% | 14.3% | 51.1% | 53.0% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 289 | 13.8% | 18.7% | 52.9% | 48.0% |
| Migraine | 263 | 20.5% | 30.2% | 56.3% | 42.1% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 235 | 13.6% | 20.6% | 51.5% | 51.7% |
| Hip impairment | 224 | 13.8% | 14.3% | 55.4% | 53.8% |
| Ankle impairment | 221 | 14.9% | 16.9% | 62.9% | 50.3% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 197 | 16.8% | 20.0% | 40.1% | 40.1% |
| Major depressive disorder | 168 | 22.6% | 34.7% | 41.7% | 34.1% |
Judge M. Donohue's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 291 | 24.1% | 32.6% | 60.5% |
| 2019 | 877 | 25.1% | 44.2% | 51.2% |
| 2020 | 851 | 26.8% | 44.4% | 53.7% |
| 2021 | 722 | 25.1% | 38.9% | 55.1% |
| 2022 | 642 | 26.5% | 31.6% | 57.8% |
| 2023 | 777 | 29.7% | 39.5% | 52.4% |
| 2024 | 778 | 28.9% | 41.8% | 44.9% |
| 2025 | 959 | 28.8% | 39.0% | 51.5% |
| 2026 | 354 | 28.5% | 31.1% | 50.8% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge M. Donohue's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established220
- Service connection established57
- Caused by the service-connected disability39
- Continuity of symptomatology since service16
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service10
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability9
- Total occupational and social impairment found8
- Symptoms approximated 70% rating criteria7
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim212
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis151
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service141
- Service records negative or silent139
- No current diagnosis136
- Current diagnosis established89
- Already at the maximum schedular rating37
- No continuity of symptomatology30
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. Donohue decisions
Granted
Symptoms approximated 70% criteria; Suicidal ideation noted but not at 100% level; Adequate VA examinations and lay statements considered
Current diagnosis of lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis; In-service injury from motor vehicle accident in October 1995; Probative private medical opinion finding condition at least as likely as not related to service; Inadequate VA nexus opinions due to inaccurate premise and lack of rationale; Evidence in approximate balance, affording benefit of the doubt
VA examiner's negative opinion based on inaccurate premise of no current diagnosis.; Conflicting evidence of IDA diagnosis and treatment available.; Hematologist opinion linked IDA to chronic GI bleeding from Crohn's disease.
Denied
No diagnosis of chronic rhinitis found in medical records.; VA examination found no diagnosis and no acute abnormalities.; Symptoms did not cause functional impairment of earning capacity.
January 2023 VA examination results yielded Level I hearing impairment in the left ear.; Applying rating schedule to audiometric testing results equates to a noncompensable disability rating.; Lay testimony regarding functional impairment is contemplated by rating criteria but does not override audiometric findings.
Tinnitus rated at maximum schedular rating; Criteria for increased rating not met
Research your Judge M. Donohue 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.