Veterans Law Judge
Judge M. Schlickenmaier: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2020 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge M. Schlickenmaier signed 816 Board decisions covering 1,481 condition issues. The judge granted 18.8% of those issues, denied 25.9% and remanded 53.5%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 21.2% and remanded 45.8%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
816
2020–2026
Issues decided
1,481
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
18.8%
Board, same conditions: 21.2%
Issues remanded
53.5%
Board, same conditions: 45.8%
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 | 113 | 12.4% | 17.3% | 56.6% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 85 | 16.5% | 19.5% | 47.1% | 34.6% |
| Hypertension | 71 | 18.3% | 17.2% | 52.1% | 48.7% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 69 | 27.5% | 28.9% | 49.3% | 38.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 63 | 22.2% | 26.2% | 63.5% | 50.3% |
| Tinnitus | 56 | 35.7% | 39.6% | 30.4% | 22.7% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 51 | 17.6% | 20.7% | 54.9% | 46.1% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 43 | 11.6% | 18.7% | 58.1% | 48.0% |
| Migraine | 37 | 27.0% | 30.2% | 59.5% | 42.2% |
| Hip impairment | 34 | 11.8% | 14.3% | 73.5% | 53.8% |
| Shoulder impairment | 33 | 15.2% | 14.3% | 42.4% | 53.0% |
| Ankle impairment | 33 | 15.2% | 16.9% | 54.5% | 50.4% |
| Major depressive disorder | 27 | 44.4% | 34.6% | 37.0% | 34.2% |
| Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) | 23 | 4.3% | 19.3% | 56.5% | 52.9% |
| Paralysis of sciatic nerve or external popliteal nerve | 20 | 30.0% | 22.0% | 60.0% | 49.5% |
Judge M. Schlickenmaier's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 21 | 33.3% | 57.1% | 57.1% |
| 2022 | 42 | 21.4% | 33.3% | 76.2% |
| 2023 | 275 | 31.6% | 28.4% | 66.9% |
| 2024 | 242 | 29.3% | 27.7% | 59.5% |
| 2025 | 111 | 29.7% | 45.9% | 48.6% |
| 2026 | 118 | 28.0% | 36.4% | 48.3% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge M. Schlickenmaier's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established40
- Service connection established15
- Continuity of symptomatology since service8
- Caused by the service-connected disability6
- In-service noise exposure conceded3
- New and relevant evidence submitted after prior denial3
- Gunshot wound to right axilla in service2
- Conflicting medical opinions on nexus2
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis19
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service14
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis11
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim11
- Current diagnosis established8
- Service records negative or silent7
- Evidence persuasively against claim4
- Already at the maximum schedular rating4
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. Schlickenmaier decisions
Granted
TDIU granted from December 27, 2022; Benefit of the doubt resolved in veteran's favor; Service-connected disabilities rendered veteran unable to secure substantially gainful occupation
Restored 40% rating based on finding reduction improper; Evidence showed moderate incomplete paralysis beyond sensory deficits; Resolved reasonable doubt in Veteran's favor
Symptoms met criteria for 70% rating prior to May 22, 2017; No evidence of total occupational and social impairment; Holistic analysis of symptoms considered
Denied
Evidence does not meet criteria for higher rating under DC 6847 for OSA.; Veteran's OSA manifested by CPAP use and daytime hypersomnolence, not chronic respiratory failure or tracheostomy.; Evidence does not meet criteria for higher rating for bronchitis or asthma under DC 6600/6602.
No current dental disability eligible for compensation; No loss of maxilla or mandible
PACT Act provided presumptive service connection for lymphoma.; Effective date of August 10, 2022, based on PACT Act enactment.; Conflicting evidence regarding residuals from chemotherapy and radiation treatment.; Remanded for VA opinion on residuals and severity.
Research your Judge M. Schlickenmaier 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 (2020–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.