Veterans Law Judge
Judge Mike Sobiecki: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2019 to 2025, Veterans Law Judge Mike Sobiecki signed 913 Board decisions covering 1,590 condition issues. The judge granted 22.2% of those issues, denied 27.1% and remanded 48.8%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.8% and remanded 46.2%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
913
2019–2025
Issues decided
1,590
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
22.2%
Board, same conditions: 20.8%
Issues remanded
48.8%
Board, same conditions: 46.2%
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 | 119 | 13.4% | 17.3% | 64.7% | 51.1% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 83 | 42.2% | 28.9% | 33.7% | 38.1% |
| Hearing loss | 80 | 11.3% | 19.5% | 22.5% | 34.6% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 65 | 24.6% | 26.2% | 56.9% | 50.3% |
| Tinnitus | 59 | 27.1% | 39.6% | 28.8% | 22.7% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 57 | 24.6% | 20.7% | 45.6% | 46.1% |
| Migraine | 47 | 38.3% | 30.1% | 44.7% | 42.2% |
| Hypertension | 46 | 26.1% | 17.1% | 43.5% | 48.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 42 | 14.3% | 18.7% | 61.9% | 48.0% |
| Hip impairment | 37 | 13.5% | 14.3% | 64.9% | 53.8% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 37 | 37.8% | 19.9% | 29.7% | 40.1% |
| Ankle impairment | 34 | 17.6% | 16.9% | 50.0% | 50.4% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 34 | 44.1% | 20.5% | 38.2% | 51.7% |
| Shoulder impairment | 34 | 5.9% | 14.3% | 67.6% | 53.0% |
| Cervical spine limitation of motion | 20 | 15.0% | 13.2% | 65.0% | 58.4% |
Judge Mike Sobiecki's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | 25.0% | 53.1% | 46.9% |
| 2022 | 161 | 37.3% | 38.5% | 59.0% |
| 2023 | 244 | 25.0% | 33.6% | 53.7% |
| 2024 | 393 | 38.4% | 31.3% | 42.0% |
| 2025 | 53 | 60.4% | 39.6% | 49.1% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Mike Sobiecki's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established31
- Service connection established8
- Caused by the service-connected disability6
- Continuity of symptomatology since service4
- Conflicting medical opinions regarding nexus to service3
- In-service noise exposure conceded2
- Evidence did not show improvement in ability to function2
- VA examiner opinion inadequate2
Most common reasons in denials
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service21
- No current diagnosis16
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis16
- Service records negative or silent13
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim11
- Already at the maximum schedular rating5
- Current diagnosis established4
- No evidence of ankylosis or functional equivalent3
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 Mike Sobiecki decisions
Granted
Present disability established; In-service incurrence demonstrated by medical evaluation board proceedings; Persuasive private medical opinion established nexus to service
Current diagnosis of mild obstructive sleep apnea found.; In-service complaint of irregular sleeping problems and hard breathing noted.; Conflicting medical opinions regarding nexus; Board found first opinion more probative.; Benefit of the doubt resolved in veteran's favor.
Service connection for sinusitis granted based on Persian Gulf War service; Diagnosis of chronic sinusitis met; Service in Afghanistan from April 2004 to April 2005 satisfies qualifying period
Denied
Present disability established; Noise exposure conceded; Unfavorable private medical opinion found no nexus to service
Objective testing showed minimal sensory deficits and normal muscle strength/reflexes.; Examiner characterized the condition as mild.; Board agreed with mild characterization based on objective findings.
Symptoms did not meet criteria for 70% or 100% rating.; Mental status exams generally normal regarding thought process and speech.; Positive social/family support factors noted.
Research your Judge Mike Sobiecki 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 (2019–2025) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.