Veterans Law Judge
Judge Michael Martin: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2018 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Michael Martin signed 12,761 Board decisions covering 24,786 condition issues. The judge granted 18.5% of those issues, denied 31.7% and remanded 47.6%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.0% and remanded 46.8%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is close to it.
Decisions
12,761
2018–2026
Issues decided
24,786
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
18.5%
Board, same conditions: 20.0%
Issues remanded
47.6%
Board, same conditions: 46.8%
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 | 2,078 | 15.5% | 17.3% | 52.3% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 1,317 | 16.2% | 19.5% | 34.6% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 1,185 | 25.2% | 28.9% | 41.3% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 902 | 40.5% | 39.6% | 21.5% | 22.8% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 869 | 27.8% | 26.2% | 46.5% | 50.4% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 827 | 16.7% | 20.7% | 48.4% | 46.0% |
| Hypertension | 722 | 15.5% | 17.2% | 53.3% | 48.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 655 | 17.9% | 18.7% | 49.0% | 48.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 586 | 13.1% | 14.3% | 52.0% | 53.0% |
| Hip impairment | 532 | 16.4% | 14.3% | 49.4% | 53.9% |
| Migraine | 530 | 25.1% | 30.2% | 42.6% | 42.2% |
| Ankle impairment | 470 | 19.6% | 16.8% | 47.4% | 50.5% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 414 | 15.9% | 20.6% | 58.2% | 51.6% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 375 | 19.2% | 20.0% | 41.9% | 40.0% |
| Major depressive disorder | 351 | 35.6% | 34.6% | 36.2% | 34.2% |
Judge Michael Martin's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 416 | 22.4% | 39.2% | 65.1% |
| 2019 | 2,838 | 23.2% | 44.0% | 54.1% |
| 2020 | 1,054 | 20.4% | 48.2% | 54.2% |
| 2021 | 1,136 | 22.4% | 37.1% | 58.8% |
| 2022 | 967 | 25.9% | 33.9% | 57.0% |
| 2023 | 1,478 | 31.6% | 36.7% | 53.5% |
| 2024 | 2,034 | 40.4% | 41.1% | 38.0% |
| 2025 | 2,019 | 41.6% | 42.9% | 38.1% |
| 2026 | 819 | 41.5% | 38.7% | 34.3% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Michael Martin's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established423
- Service connection established115
- Caused by the service-connected disability89
- In-service noise exposure conceded83
- Continuity of symptomatology since service57
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service39
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability21
- Criteria for service connection met17
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim484
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service435
- No current diagnosis311
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis307
- Service records negative or silent288
- Current diagnosis established135
- Already at the maximum schedular rating76
- No continuity of symptomatology42
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 Martin decisions
Granted
Veteran's service records confirm Vietnam service and meritorious award related to hostile operations.; Veteran's reports of stressful events deemed consistent with service and credible.; RO conceded a stressor based on Vietnam service.; Private psychiatric evaluation diagnosed PTSD under DSM-5 criteria and linked it to in-service trauma.; Board resolved reasonable doubt in Veteran's favor to grant PTSD.
Condition noted on entrance examination; Residuals of redness/dryness noted post-surgery during service; VA treatment notes confirm ongoing need for eye drops; Evidence persuasively links symptom to active-duty service
Private medical opinion linked weight gain to service-connected knee/ankle conditions; Weight gain identified as intermediate step to OSA; Evidence in relative equipoise, doubt resolved in Veteran's favor
Denied
Pre-existing pes planus noted at entrance examination.; Veteran contends pes planus aggravated by daily running and marching.; VA medical opinions found negative nexus due to lack of in-service complaints/treatment and progression of pes planus.; Board found private opinions inadequate for failing to explain etiology or nexus.
No in-service diagnosis of HIV; No diagnosis within 10 years of service; Lack of competent medical evidence linking condition to service; Speculative nature of claim
Symptoms most closely approximated 30% criteria; VA examinations supported 30% rating; Single symptom of impaired impulse control insufficient for higher rating
Research your Judge Michael Martin 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 (2018–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.