Veterans Law Judge
Judge Michael D. Lyon: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2021, Veterans Law Judge Michael D. Lyon signed 5,317 Board decisions covering 9,389 condition issues. The judge granted 10.1% of those issues, denied 44.0% and remanded 43.5%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.8% and remanded 46.7%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
5,317
2017–2021
Issues decided
9,389
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
10.1%
Board, same conditions: 19.8%
Issues remanded
43.5%
Board, same conditions: 46.7%
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 | 853 | 9.4% | 17.3% | 41.7% | 51.2% |
| Hearing loss | 561 | 8.4% | 19.6% | 36.5% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 458 | 17.2% | 28.9% | 38.0% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 378 | 7.7% | 20.7% | 40.2% | 46.1% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 309 | 8.4% | 18.7% | 43.0% | 48.1% |
| Hypertension | 304 | 4.9% | 17.2% | 42.1% | 48.8% |
| Tinnitus | 293 | 25.6% | 39.7% | 27.0% | 22.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 272 | 11.8% | 26.3% | 42.6% | 50.4% |
| Shoulder impairment | 226 | 4.4% | 14.4% | 47.3% | 53.1% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 189 | 13.8% | 20.0% | 36.0% | 40.1% |
| Migraine | 186 | 11.8% | 30.2% | 45.7% | 42.2% |
| Ankle impairment | 172 | 7.6% | 16.9% | 48.8% | 50.4% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 154 | 14.3% | 20.6% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Hip impairment | 149 | 4.0% | 14.4% | 57.7% | 53.8% |
| Cervical spine limitation of motion | 131 | 5.3% | 13.2% | 44.3% | 58.5% |
Judge Michael D. Lyon's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1,305 | 13.7% | 50.7% | 49.6% |
| 2018 | 688 | 17.9% | 48.3% | 53.9% |
| 2020 | 1,828 | 21.5% | 47.1% | 46.4% |
| 2021 | 1,496 | 18.4% | 50.5% | 41.8% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Michael D. Lyon's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established56
- Caused by the service-connected disability16
- Service connection established13
- Service records negative or silent11
- In-service noise exposure conceded11
- Continuity of symptomatology since service7
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service6
- Evidence evenly balanced6
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim424
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis256
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service253
- Service records negative or silent114
- No current diagnosis114
- Current diagnosis established65
- No continuity of symptomatology45
- Continuity of symptomatology since service44
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 D. Lyon decisions
Granted
Current disability diagnosed as chronic right ankle sprain, status post peroneal tendon rupture.; Evidence in equipoise regarding service connection.; Resolving reasonable doubt in Veteran's favor.
Credible testimony of noise exposure during service; Approximate balance of evidence; Benefit of the doubt applied
Veteran has current diagnosis of major depressive disorder; In-service complaints and provisional diagnosis of depression noted; Private examinations and treatment notes support diagnosis and progression since service; VA examiner acknowledged in-service depression complaints despite negative PTSD finding; Approximate balance of evidence on in-service onset; Benefit of doubt resolved in Veteran's favor
Denied
No ankylosis found; No incapacitating episodes requiring bed rest; Range of motion limitations did not meet criteria for higher rating
Preponderance of evidence against claim; Lack of chronicity in medical records; Normal examinations post-service; Current disability considered age-appropriate
Preponderance of evidence weighs against PTSD link to in-service stressor; Conflicting medical opinions regarding PTSD and MST; VA examiner found no PTSD, but personality disorder; noted lack of documentation beyond Veteran's statements; Private opinions less probative due to incomplete review of records and history; Veteran's inconsistent reports of suicide attempts and MST; No examiner linked PTSD diagnosis to a credible MST stressor
Research your Judge Michael D. Lyon 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 (2017–2021) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.