Veterans Law Judge
Judge Mary E. Rude: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2019 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Mary E. Rude signed 328 Board decisions covering 695 condition issues. The judge granted 13.2% of those issues, denied 33.8% and remanded 51.2%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.9% and remanded 45.2%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
328
2019–2026
Issues decided
695
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
13.2%
Board, same conditions: 20.9%
Issues remanded
51.2%
Board, same conditions: 45.2%
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 | 58 | 24.1% | 17.3% | 46.6% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 34 | 5.9% | 19.5% | 47.1% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 30 | 23.3% | 28.9% | 40.0% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 26 | 3.8% | 20.7% | 57.7% | 46.1% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 20 | 20.0% | 18.7% | 55.0% | 48.0% |
Judge Mary E. Rude's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 49 | 16.3% | 32.7% | 77.6% |
| 2020 | 63 | 28.6% | 38.1% | 68.3% |
| 2021 | 101 | 34.7% | 52.5% | 53.5% |
| 2022 | 102 | 25.5% | 45.1% | 54.9% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Mary E. Rude's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Service connection established4
- Continuity of symptomatology since service2
- New and material evidence submitted2
- Current diagnosis established2
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim21
- Service records negative or silent6
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service4
- No current diagnosis4
- Melanoma not a presumptive condition under 38 c.f.r. § 3.309(f)3
- No medical evidence links melanoma to in-service sun exposure2
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis2
- Continuity of symptomatology since service2
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 Mary E. Rude decisions
Granted
Preexisting condition noted on enlistment; Aggravated by service beyond natural progression; VA failed to provide clear and unmistakable evidence to rebut presumption of aggravation
Painful motion identified by examiner; Minimum 10% rating under DC 5309 for muscle injury; Applied by analogy to DC 5230 for ring finger
Evidence demonstrates complete restriction from left arm use; Granted for period May 9, 2016 to August 31, 2016; Criteria met for temporary total evaluation
Denied
Original claim denied in February 1980 for failure to attend VA examination.; No timely appeal or new evidence submitted until September 7, 2017.; February 1980 decision is final; reconsideration under 38 C.F.R. § 3.156(c) not warranted as new records did not speak to basis of prior denial.
Evidence did not meet criteria for compensable rating under DC 5251.; Extension not limited to 5 degrees at any time.; Weight of evidence is against assignment of higher rating.
Weight of evidence against higher rating prior to Aug 29, 2024; VA exam found occupational impairment with reduced reliability; No evidence of suicidal ideation, hallucinations, or inability to perform daily living tasks
Research your Judge Mary E. Rude 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.