Veterans Law Judge
Judge Michael Pappas: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2019 to 2019, Veterans Law Judge Michael Pappas signed 527 Board decisions covering 1,160 condition issues. The judge granted 9.1% of those issues, denied 27.2% and remanded 61.0%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.7% and remanded 46.9%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
527
2019–2019
Issues decided
1,160
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
9.1%
Board, same conditions: 19.7%
Issues remanded
61.0%
Board, same conditions: 46.9%
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 | 100 | 8.0% | 17.3% | 66.0% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 73 | 8.2% | 19.5% | 53.4% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 56 | 12.5% | 28.9% | 57.1% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 51 | 5.9% | 20.7% | 66.7% | 46.0% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 49 | 4.1% | 18.7% | 61.2% | 48.0% |
| Tinnitus | 45 | 26.7% | 39.6% | 35.6% | 22.7% |
| Hypertension | 30 | 3.3% | 17.2% | 56.7% | 48.7% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 27 | 0.0% | 20.6% | 66.7% | 51.7% |
| Shoulder impairment | 23 | 0.0% | 14.3% | 87.0% | 53.0% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 22 | 31.8% | 26.2% | 50.0% | 50.3% |
| Migraine | 22 | 18.2% | 30.2% | 50.0% | 42.2% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 21 | 9.5% | 20.0% | 42.9% | 40.1% |
| Ankle impairment | 21 | 0.0% | 16.9% | 47.6% | 50.4% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Michael Pappas's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Continuity of symptomatology since service7
- Current diagnosis established4
- Service connection established4
- Granted earlier effective date2
- Competent and credible lay testimony regarding onset in service2
Most common reasons in denials
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service25
- Current diagnosis established17
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim16
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis14
- Service records negative or silent11
- No current diagnosis7
- In-service noise exposure conceded4
- No continuity of symptomatology3
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 Pappas decisions
Granted
Evidence of record shows worsening hyperhidrosis.; Veteran's lay statements and private medical records describe difficulty handling tools and paper.; Condition unresponsive to therapy.; Evidence in relative equipoise, doubt resolved in veteran's favor.
Veteran has current diagnoses of diabetes mellitus type II and erectile dysfunction.; Veteran served in the Korean DMZ from 1968-1969.; Buddy statements corroborated Veteran's presence in DMZ.; Board conceded Agent Orange exposure based on DMZ service and buddy statements.; Diabetes mellitus type II is a presumptive condition for herbicide exposure.
Service-connected PTSD and associated psychiatric disabilities preclude substantially gainful employment.; Veteran's lay statements found credible and consistent with employment record and examiner observations.; Benefit of the doubt resolved in veteran's favor.
Denied
Symptoms of depressed mood, anxiety, nightmares, hypervigilance, avoidance, and sleep impairment align with 30% rating criteria.; Veteran did not exhibit reduced reliability/productivity, flattened affect, or significant memory impairment required for 50% rating.; VA examiner's findings of intact judgment and ability to follow conversation support the 30% rating.
Bladder cancer in remission with no recurrence or metastasis.; No renal dysfunction or bladder fistula found.; Residuals of voiding dysfunction did not meet criteria for higher rating.
Evidence did not support symptoms beyond moderately severe impairment.; June 2018 VA exam found only some impairment of muscle tonus and loss of power.; Absence of objective medical evidence for more than two cardinal signs of muscle injury.
Research your Judge Michael 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 (2019–2019) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.