Veterans Law Judge
Judge Michael Lane: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Michael Lane signed 12,438 Board decisions covering 25,232 condition issues. The judge granted 16.8% of those issues, denied 32.8% and remanded 46.6%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.6% and remanded 47.4%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is close to it.
Decisions
12,438
2017–2026
Issues decided
25,232
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
16.8%
Board, same conditions: 19.6%
Issues remanded
46.6%
Board, same conditions: 47.4%
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 | 2,029 | 15.8% | 17.3% | 45.9% | 51.2% |
| Hearing loss | 1,342 | 23.9% | 19.4% | 29.6% | 34.7% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 1,155 | 22.6% | 29.0% | 39.6% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 951 | 17.5% | 20.7% | 43.2% | 46.1% |
| Tinnitus | 881 | 37.6% | 39.6% | 21.9% | 22.8% |
| Hypertension | 756 | 11.6% | 17.2% | 49.5% | 48.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 743 | 23.3% | 26.3% | 48.9% | 50.4% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 682 | 15.5% | 18.7% | 42.2% | 48.1% |
| Shoulder impairment | 565 | 11.0% | 14.4% | 48.1% | 53.1% |
| Migraine | 563 | 22.6% | 30.3% | 44.6% | 42.1% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 509 | 20.6% | 20.5% | 52.3% | 51.7% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 464 | 17.0% | 20.0% | 38.1% | 40.1% |
| Hip impairment | 441 | 14.7% | 14.3% | 48.5% | 53.9% |
| Ankle impairment | 404 | 13.9% | 16.9% | 45.8% | 50.5% |
| Major depressive disorder | 351 | 27.1% | 34.7% | 38.5% | 34.1% |
Judge Michael Lane's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2,390 | 22.4% | 42.9% | 54.4% |
| 2018 | 2,733 | 25.4% | 43.7% | 53.4% |
| 2019 | 1,394 | 22.9% | 52.0% | 49.4% |
| 2020 | 920 | 33.0% | 45.0% | 47.2% |
| 2021 | 912 | 29.6% | 41.7% | 51.0% |
| 2022 | 845 | 35.4% | 39.6% | 50.8% |
| 2023 | 868 | 35.3% | 38.7% | 54.4% |
| 2024 | 799 | 34.7% | 36.7% | 50.6% |
| 2025 | 1,153 | 35.8% | 41.5% | 41.9% |
| 2026 | 424 | 37.3% | 42.2% | 37.7% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Michael Lane's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established413
- Service connection established111
- In-service noise exposure conceded88
- Caused by the service-connected disability39
- Continuity of symptomatology since service37
- Service records negative or silent27
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service25
- Already at the maximum schedular rating23
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim578
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service477
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis355
- Service records negative or silent282
- No current diagnosis251
- Current diagnosis established163
- Already at the maximum schedular rating83
- No continuity of symptomatology69
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 Lane decisions
Granted
Symptoms of hyperarousal, hypervigilance, and irritability assessed by examiner.; Difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances noted by examiner and spouse.; Occasional neglect of personal appearance and hygiene noted by spouse.
Evidence in equipoise regarding total occupational and social impairment; Persistent hallucinations noted in VA treatment records and examinations; Benefit of the doubt resolved in Veteran's favor
VA examination found less likely than not related to PTSD; Examiner provided generic, conclusory rationale; Examiner failed to consider Veteran's contentions and evidence; Examiner failed to consider obesity as intermediate step; Private opinion from Dr. Patel received prior to VA exam; Resolving reasonable doubt in Veteran's favor; Evidence in relative balance for and against claim
Denied
Evidence does not support "moderately severe" or "severe" impairment.; Symptoms during flare-ups are already contemplated in the 10% rating.; Evidence persuasively against assignment of rating in excess of 10 percent.
AOJ determined entitlement to SMC based on A&A criteria met.; Veteran's helplessness due to service-connected disability was factually ascertainable for the one-year period prior to the claim.; Veteran required assistance with multiple activities of daily living.
No evidence of obstruction or polyps found on VA exam; Evidence persuasively against a higher rating; Benefit of the doubt doctrine not applicable as evidence weighed against claim
Research your Judge Michael Lane 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.