Veterans Law Judge
Judge Michael A. Herman: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Michael A. Herman signed 6,914 Board decisions covering 13,613 condition issues. The judge granted 18.5% of those issues, denied 29.6% and remanded 48.8%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.2% and remanded 46.5%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
6,914
2017–2026
Issues decided
13,613
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
18.5%
Board, same conditions: 20.2%
Issues remanded
48.8%
Board, same conditions: 46.5%
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 | 1,228 | 14.0% | 17.3% | 55.1% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 744 | 23.7% | 19.5% | 30.2% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 636 | 27.2% | 28.9% | 40.6% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 532 | 19.2% | 20.7% | 45.5% | 46.1% |
| Tinnitus | 515 | 43.1% | 39.6% | 19.6% | 22.8% |
| Hypertension | 458 | 14.6% | 17.2% | 52.8% | 48.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 455 | 27.3% | 26.2% | 49.0% | 50.3% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 325 | 13.5% | 18.7% | 49.2% | 48.0% |
| Migraine | 316 | 27.5% | 30.2% | 45.6% | 42.1% |
| Shoulder impairment | 306 | 10.1% | 14.3% | 54.9% | 53.0% |
| Ankle impairment | 263 | 12.2% | 16.9% | 54.4% | 50.4% |
| Hip impairment | 249 | 14.5% | 14.3% | 55.8% | 53.8% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 231 | 20.8% | 20.0% | 42.0% | 40.0% |
| Major depressive disorder | 193 | 32.1% | 34.6% | 37.3% | 34.2% |
| Cervical spine limitation of motion | 183 | 9.8% | 13.2% | 60.1% | 58.4% |
Judge Michael A. Herman's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 114 | 21.1% | 48.2% | 47.4% |
| 2018 | 946 | 31.6% | 41.3% | 52.6% |
| 2019 | 525 | 25.5% | 51.6% | 45.1% |
| 2020 | 936 | 29.8% | 35.9% | 53.3% |
| 2021 | 871 | 26.8% | 36.9% | 52.5% |
| 2022 | 835 | 30.3% | 36.0% | 53.8% |
| 2023 | 855 | 33.1% | 41.2% | 49.2% |
| 2024 | 862 | 31.8% | 37.6% | 49.4% |
| 2025 | 699 | 36.5% | 36.9% | 42.5% |
| 2026 | 271 | 42.8% | 33.6% | 41.0% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Michael A. Herman's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established222
- Service connection established78
- Continuity of symptomatology since service56
- Caused by the service-connected disability48
- In-service noise exposure conceded44
- Service records negative or silent21
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability13
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service12
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim282
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service234
- Service records negative or silent183
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis129
- No current diagnosis117
- Current diagnosis established74
- Already at the maximum schedular rating41
- Continuity of symptomatology since service36
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 Michael A. Herman decisions
Granted
CML in complete molecular remission as of September 27, 2018; Continued treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (imatinib/Gleevec); Experienced weakness and fatigue from treatment; Rated 30 percent by analogy to DC 7700 and under DC 7719 criteria
Intent to file received Feb 5, 2021.; Claim received March 24, 2021.; No factually ascertainable increase in disability one year prior to intent to file.
Current diagnosis of GERD established by resolving doubt in veteran's favor; In-service onset documented by service treatment records showing stomach cramping, reflux, and gastritis; Evidence in equipoise regarding causation, with favorable VA examination in May 2024 supporting diagnosis and in-service treatment
Denied
No current lower back disability found; Veteran's statements conclusory and contradicted by treatment records; Evidence persuasively weighs against claim
Lack of in-service complaints/treatment; Inconsistent post-service reporting of symptoms; Recent injury contradicts testimony; VA opinion found less likely than not related to service
Symptoms did not meet criteria for 100% rating.; Symptoms more closely approximated 70% rating criteria.; Deficiencies in most areas of functioning.
Research your Judge Michael A. Herman 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.