Veterans Law Judge
Judge M. Hyland: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge M. Hyland signed 7,469 Board decisions covering 13,554 condition issues. The judge granted 17.9% of those issues, denied 14.2% and remanded 65.1%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.2% and remanded 48.4%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
7,469
2017–2026
Issues decided
13,554
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
17.9%
Board, same conditions: 19.2%
Issues remanded
65.1%
Board, same conditions: 48.4%
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 | 1,171 | 13.7% | 17.3% | 74.1% | 50.9% |
| Hearing loss | 749 | 13.8% | 19.5% | 53.5% | 34.4% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 633 | 26.1% | 28.9% | 55.5% | 38.0% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 517 | 19.3% | 20.7% | 64.0% | 45.9% |
| Tinnitus | 473 | 49.7% | 39.5% | 29.4% | 22.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 394 | 21.3% | 26.3% | 66.8% | 50.2% |
| Hypertension | 391 | 14.3% | 17.2% | 64.7% | 48.6% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 368 | 17.4% | 18.7% | 70.9% | 47.9% |
| Hip impairment | 348 | 12.6% | 14.4% | 75.9% | 53.6% |
| Shoulder impairment | 309 | 14.6% | 14.3% | 70.9% | 52.9% |
| Ankle impairment | 247 | 14.2% | 16.9% | 73.7% | 50.3% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 243 | 22.6% | 19.9% | 57.6% | 39.9% |
| Migraine | 228 | 39.9% | 30.1% | 46.1% | 42.2% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 216 | 15.7% | 20.6% | 73.1% | 51.6% |
| Paralysis of sciatic nerve or external popliteal nerve | 178 | 18.0% | 22.0% | 66.3% | 49.4% |
Judge M. Hyland's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 581 | 19.1% | 25.0% | 72.5% |
| 2018 | 899 | 23.6% | 33.5% | 67.5% |
| 2019 | 886 | 22.2% | 24.5% | 69.8% |
| 2020 | 914 | 29.2% | 21.6% | 71.7% |
| 2021 | 781 | 27.1% | 20.4% | 72.3% |
| 2022 | 705 | 29.1% | 18.4% | 69.4% |
| 2023 | 782 | 30.9% | 15.7% | 69.8% |
| 2024 | 728 | 34.1% | 17.2% | 63.0% |
| 2025 | 896 | 37.2% | 28.1% | 47.8% |
| 2026 | 297 | 50.8% | 27.3% | 45.8% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge M. Hyland's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established148
- Continuity of symptomatology since service84
- In-service noise exposure conceded57
- Service connection established56
- Caused by the service-connected disability42
- Veteran meets schedular percentage requirements for TDIU13
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service11
- Presumption of soundness not rebutted11
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim156
- No current diagnosis64
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service49
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis46
- Current diagnosis established44
- Already at the maximum schedular rating29
- Service records negative or silent23
- No continuity of symptomatology16
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. Hyland decisions
Granted
New and material evidence submitted; Supports direct service connection; Resolving reasonable doubt in veteran's favor
VA examiner opinion found persuasive when read in light most favorable to Veteran; Establishes nexus to service-connected alcohol use disorder
Veteran established basic eligibility for Chapter 33 benefits.; Prior utilization of Chapter 35 benefits should not reduce Chapter 33 entitlement.; Legislative intent of 2012 Act allows for revival of benefits.
Denied
Service connection granted from March 10, 2020; No evidence for earlier effective date; Reasonable doubt doctrine not applicable
No current diagnosis; No signs or symptoms; VA examiner negative opinion; Benefit of doubt does not apply
No evidence of increased symptoms in the prior one-year period.; Private evaluation did not show increased symptoms onset in prior year.; VA exam noted increased symptoms related to divorce, but not within the relevant timeframe.; Board applied benefit of doubt, but evidence weighed against claim.
Research your Judge M. Hyland 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.