Veterans Law Judge
Judge Michael A. Pappas: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Michael A. Pappas signed 8,661 Board decisions covering 15,687 condition issues. The judge granted 12.1% of those issues, denied 28.9% and remanded 55.3%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.8% and remanded 47.0%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
8,661
2017–2026
Issues decided
15,687
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
12.1%
Board, same conditions: 19.8%
Issues remanded
55.3%
Board, same conditions: 47.0%
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 | 1,308 | 9.9% | 17.3% | 63.0% | 51.0% |
| Hearing loss | 882 | 12.4% | 19.6% | 44.2% | 34.5% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 731 | 18.3% | 29.0% | 47.9% | 38.0% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 607 | 9.2% | 20.8% | 54.9% | 46.0% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 486 | 17.7% | 26.3% | 56.6% | 50.3% |
| Hypertension | 482 | 11.8% | 17.2% | 48.8% | 48.7% |
| Tinnitus | 476 | 37.8% | 39.6% | 24.6% | 22.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 455 | 9.2% | 18.7% | 57.6% | 47.9% |
| Shoulder impairment | 348 | 8.9% | 14.4% | 59.2% | 53.0% |
| Hip impairment | 325 | 5.8% | 14.4% | 62.2% | 53.7% |
| Migraine | 323 | 18.0% | 30.2% | 52.9% | 42.1% |
| Ankle impairment | 322 | 8.4% | 16.9% | 57.5% | 50.4% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 299 | 12.7% | 20.6% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 277 | 16.6% | 20.0% | 44.0% | 40.0% |
| Major depressive disorder | 225 | 18.2% | 34.8% | 49.8% | 34.0% |
Judge Michael A. Pappas's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 798 | 16.2% | 38.3% | 63.4% |
| 2018 | 1,103 | 20.3% | 37.3% | 63.7% |
| 2019 | 543 | 24.3% | 37.0% | 55.1% |
| 2020 | 1,064 | 19.3% | 41.4% | 55.7% |
| 2021 | 1,049 | 20.4% | 39.0% | 55.6% |
| 2022 | 930 | 24.5% | 32.9% | 57.8% |
| 2023 | 823 | 23.7% | 31.7% | 55.8% |
| 2024 | 827 | 25.4% | 29.5% | 47.9% |
| 2025 | 1,066 | 28.2% | 30.6% | 41.6% |
| 2026 | 458 | 37.3% | 32.8% | 38.6% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Michael A. Pappas's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established143
- Service connection established61
- Continuity of symptomatology since service55
- In-service noise exposure conceded54
- Caused by the service-connected disability25
- New and material evidence received to reopen claim9
- Positive nexus opinion from VA examiner8
- Service records negative or silent7
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim240
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service186
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis185
- No current diagnosis184
- Current diagnosis established129
- Service records negative or silent126
- Continuity of symptomatology since service41
- No continuity of symptomatology37
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. Pappas decisions
Granted
Positive February 2026 VA opinion finding nexus to service; Veteran's statements of continuity of symptomatology found credible; Evidence in relative balance between positive and negative opinions
Pre-existing condition noted on entrance examination.; Presumption of soundness rebutted by clear and unmistakable evidence of pre-existing condition.; Presumption of aggravation triggered by increase in severity during service.; VA failed to rebut aggravation by clear and unmistakable evidence.; Probative private medical opinion found aggravation beyond natural progression due to herbicide exposure.
Conceded in-service hazardous noise exposure due to field artillery MOS; Veteran testimony of symptom onset during service and continuity; Inadequate VA examination due to conflicting symptom onset and overreliance on Institute of Medicine study
Denied
Insufficient evidence of current diagnosis of sleep apnea.; VA sleep study negative for obstructive sleep apnea.; Examiner found no current signs or symptoms attributable to sleep apnea.
No evidence of adhesions or residuals in service; No nexus to service or service-connected disability; IBS is not service-connected, precluding secondary claim
No current diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome found.; Contradictory VA examinations regarding diagnosis.; Prior favorable finding rebutted by clear and unmistakable evidence.
Research your Judge Michael A. Pappas 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.