Veterans Law Judge
Judge M. Mills: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2019 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge M. Mills signed 2,971 Board decisions covering 5,335 condition issues. The judge granted 20.0% of those issues, denied 35.7% and remanded 42.1%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.5% and remanded 46.2%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
2,971
2019–2026
Issues decided
5,335
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
20.0%
Board, same conditions: 20.5%
Issues remanded
42.1%
Board, same conditions: 46.2%
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 | 472 | 17.8% | 17.3% | 42.4% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 242 | 21.1% | 19.5% | 26.9% | 34.6% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 230 | 27.4% | 26.2% | 44.8% | 50.4% |
| Tinnitus | 214 | 51.9% | 39.6% | 12.6% | 22.8% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 206 | 31.1% | 28.9% | 37.4% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 149 | 16.8% | 20.7% | 36.9% | 46.1% |
| Hypertension | 141 | 23.4% | 17.1% | 38.3% | 48.8% |
| Hip impairment | 139 | 11.5% | 14.4% | 54.7% | 53.8% |
| Migraine | 136 | 25.7% | 30.2% | 38.2% | 42.2% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 130 | 19.2% | 18.7% | 46.2% | 48.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 121 | 9.9% | 14.3% | 51.2% | 53.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 109 | 28.4% | 20.5% | 40.4% | 51.7% |
| Ankle impairment | 93 | 18.3% | 16.9% | 34.4% | 50.5% |
| Paralysis of sciatic nerve or external popliteal nerve | 82 | 12.2% | 22.1% | 48.8% | 49.5% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 78 | 17.9% | 20.0% | 42.3% | 40.1% |
Judge M. Mills's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 28 | 35.7% | 60.7% | 35.7% |
| 2020 | 111 | 35.1% | 38.7% | 43.2% |
| 2021 | 246 | 35.8% | 49.2% | 47.2% |
| 2022 | 55 | 38.2% | 30.9% | 49.1% |
| 2023 | 645 | 28.8% | 39.7% | 46.7% |
| 2024 | 891 | 34.8% | 45.7% | 35.4% |
| 2025 | 591 | 32.7% | 38.9% | 41.3% |
| 2026 | 404 | 36.4% | 33.4% | 45.5% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge M. Mills's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established111
- In-service noise exposure conceded29
- Service connection established27
- Continuity of symptomatology since service14
- Caused by the service-connected disability12
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service11
- Symptoms approximated 70% criteria9
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability5
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis102
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service90
- Service records negative or silent56
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis51
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim47
- Current diagnosis established46
- Already at the maximum schedular rating26
- Evidence persuasively weighs against service connection11
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. Mills decisions
Granted
Tinnitus present during service and currently; No intercurrent cause identified; Veteran's reports found credible
AOJ favorable finding of current CAN; Credible lay statements regarding exposure and symptoms; Positive private medical opinions; Approximate balance of evidence; Benefit of the doubt applied
Reduction improper due to lack of sustained improvement; Restored 20 percent rating; No procedural protections applied due to no change in overall compensation
Denied
No current diagnosis of TBI; VA examiner opined less likely related to service; Veteran's lay statements not competent for diagnosis
Persuasively weighs against service connection; VA examiner opined less likely than not related to service; Veteran's risk factors outweighed TERA factors
No in-service complaints or diagnosis; Separation examination showed normal hearing; VA examiner opined no nexus to service
Research your Judge M. Mills 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 (2019–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.