Veterans Law Judge
Judge Nathan Kroes: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2021, Veterans Law Judge Nathan Kroes signed 3,446 Board decisions covering 6,326 condition issues. The judge granted 11.8% of those issues, denied 41.7% and remanded 43.4%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.9% and remanded 47.0%, so this judge's grant rate is below the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
3,446
2017–2021
Issues decided
6,326
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
11.8%
Board, same conditions: 19.9%
Issues remanded
43.4%
Board, same conditions: 47.0%
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 | 547 | 7.3% | 17.3% | 42.8% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 402 | 10.7% | 19.5% | 31.1% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 341 | 22.3% | 28.9% | 39.0% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 263 | 12.5% | 20.7% | 34.2% | 46.1% |
| Tinnitus | 244 | 35.2% | 39.6% | 23.8% | 22.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 196 | 10.2% | 26.3% | 48.5% | 50.3% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 187 | 9.1% | 18.7% | 42.2% | 48.1% |
| Hypertension | 176 | 10.2% | 17.2% | 48.3% | 48.7% |
| Shoulder impairment | 150 | 6.7% | 14.3% | 46.0% | 53.1% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 129 | 12.4% | 20.6% | 52.7% | 51.7% |
| Major depressive disorder | 115 | 23.5% | 34.7% | 34.8% | 34.2% |
| Migraine | 110 | 20.0% | 30.2% | 43.6% | 42.2% |
| Hip impairment | 107 | 4.7% | 14.4% | 47.7% | 53.8% |
| Ankle impairment | 102 | 7.8% | 16.9% | 46.1% | 50.4% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 82 | 18.3% | 20.0% | 30.5% | 40.1% |
Judge Nathan Kroes's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 702 | 16.8% | 52.0% | 50.9% |
| 2018 | 840 | 22.0% | 49.8% | 47.1% |
| 2019 | 847 | 21.3% | 50.6% | 49.0% |
| 2020 | 837 | 21.7% | 49.5% | 44.8% |
| 2021 | 220 | 25.0% | 53.6% | 42.3% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Nathan Kroes's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established50
- Continuity of symptomatology since service13
- Tinnitus is a chronic disease11
- In-service noise exposure conceded8
- Service connection established8
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability7
- Not clearly attributable to intercurrent cause7
- Tinnitus present during service and currently7
Most common reasons in denials
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis199
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service189
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim174
- No current diagnosis81
- Service records negative or silent72
- Current diagnosis established52
- Continuity of symptomatology since service30
- No continuity of symptomatology29
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 Nathan Kroes decisions
Granted
Private chiropractor records showed forward flexion limited to 20-30 degrees.; Resolved doubt in favor of the veteran for forward flexion limitation.; Met criteria for 40% rating under Spinal Formula.
Conflicting medical opinions (VA vs. private); Equipoise of evidence; Benefit of the doubt applied
Current diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis; Evidence in equipoise regarding service onset; Benefit of the doubt applied in favor of Veteran
Denied
VA exam indicated moderate incomplete paralysis of the left sciatic nerve.; No objective evidence contradicted VA exam findings for this period.; Lay statements did not reflect greater disability.
Single instance of treatment for left knee pain in service; No further complaints or diagnoses in service treatment records; Veteran denied knee problems at retirement examination; Lack of continuity of symptomatology; VA opinion found more probative than private opinion
No in-service event, injury, or disease linked to current left toe disability.; Veteran's later statements about in-service toe issues lacked credibility due to contradictions with contemporaneous service records.; VA medical opinions found the left toe disability less likely than not related to or aggravated by service-connected pes planus.
Research your Judge Nathan Kroes 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 (2017–2021) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.