Veterans Law Judge
Judge Michael E. Kilcoyne: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2022 to 2023, Veterans Law Judge Michael E. Kilcoyne signed 1,550 Board decisions covering 2,629 condition issues. The judge granted 13.0% of those issues, denied 43.1% and remanded 42.0%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.8% and remanded 46.5%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
1,550
2022–2023
Issues decided
2,629
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
13.0%
Board, same conditions: 19.8%
Issues remanded
42.0%
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 | 200 | 11.0% | 17.3% | 38.0% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 188 | 4.8% | 19.5% | 34.0% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 125 | 16.0% | 28.9% | 49.6% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 103 | 10.7% | 20.7% | 42.7% | 46.1% |
| Hypertension | 102 | 19.6% | 17.1% | 47.1% | 48.7% |
| Tinnitus | 84 | 20.2% | 39.6% | 27.4% | 22.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 78 | 15.4% | 26.2% | 38.5% | 50.3% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 78 | 3.8% | 18.7% | 50.0% | 48.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 75 | 26.7% | 20.5% | 32.0% | 51.7% |
| Hip impairment | 62 | 6.5% | 14.4% | 45.2% | 53.8% |
| Migraine | 56 | 16.1% | 30.2% | 37.5% | 42.2% |
| Shoulder impairment | 52 | 1.9% | 14.3% | 55.8% | 53.0% |
| Ankle impairment | 50 | 8.0% | 16.9% | 42.0% | 50.4% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 49 | 18.4% | 20.0% | 26.5% | 40.1% |
| Cervical spine limitation of motion | 42 | 0.0% | 13.2% | 50.0% | 58.4% |
Judge Michael E. Kilcoyne's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 766 | 18.9% | 44.0% | 47.1% |
| 2023 | 784 | 23.1% | 48.6% | 42.0% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Michael E. Kilcoyne's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established17
- Caused by the service-connected disability7
- Veteran served in thailand during vietnam era4
- Service connection established4
- Veteran served in thailand during requisite period3
- Veteran presumed exposed to herbicides in vietnam3
- Pact act establishes presumption for herbicide exposure in thailand3
- New and material evidence submitted3
Most common reasons in denials
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service72
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis58
- Service records negative or silent47
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim43
- No current diagnosis38
- Current diagnosis established23
- No continuity of symptomatology9
- 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 Michael E. Kilcoyne decisions
Granted
Subsequent VA and private examinations confirmed diagnosis; Examiners linked radiculopathy to service-connected back disability
Veteran had combined 90% rating from March 2, 2012 to January 28, 2015, and 100% from January 29, 2015.; GERD and psychiatric disorder rated higher than 40%.; SSA decision noted limitations to sedentary duties and concentration issues.
PTSD deemed directly related to in-service experiences; February 11, 1979 letter recognized as informal claim; Claim filed within one year of service separation
Denied
No consistent diagnosis for reported symptoms; Inconsistent reporting of symptoms by veteran; Lack of objective findings in service treatment records; Examiners opined diagnosed shoulder/cervical arthritis not service-related
No in-service notation of hip symptoms or diagnosis; No manifestation to compensable degree within presumptive period; Veteran's testimony inconsistent with STRs and initial VA treatment; VA examiner opined less likely than not related to service
Disability developed secondary to TBI; First mentioned after February 14, 2011; No basis for earlier effective date
Research your Judge Michael E. Kilcoyne 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 (2022–2023) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.