Veterans Law Judge
Judge Nathaniel Doan: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2024 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Nathaniel Doan signed 2,470 Board decisions covering 4,476 condition issues. The judge granted 31.9% of those issues, denied 30.1% and remanded 36.2%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.1% and remanded 46.8%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
2,470
2024–2026
Issues decided
4,476
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
31.9%
Board, same conditions: 20.1%
Issues remanded
36.2%
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 | 329 | 35.3% | 17.2% | 35.0% | 51.2% |
| Hearing loss | 192 | 26.6% | 19.5% | 21.4% | 34.6% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 167 | 44.9% | 26.2% | 37.1% | 50.4% |
| Tinnitus | 160 | 54.4% | 39.6% | 12.5% | 22.8% |
| Migraine | 157 | 47.1% | 30.1% | 34.4% | 42.2% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 155 | 52.3% | 28.8% | 18.1% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 128 | 50.0% | 20.6% | 26.6% | 46.1% |
| Shoulder impairment | 112 | 30.4% | 14.3% | 38.4% | 53.1% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 107 | 35.5% | 18.6% | 37.4% | 48.1% |
| Hypertension | 103 | 26.2% | 17.1% | 39.8% | 48.8% |
| Ankle impairment | 100 | 24.0% | 16.8% | 46.0% | 50.4% |
| Hip impairment | 95 | 30.5% | 14.3% | 33.7% | 53.9% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 64 | 32.8% | 19.9% | 34.4% | 40.1% |
| Cervical spine limitation of motion | 59 | 32.2% | 13.1% | 45.8% | 58.4% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 55 | 25.5% | 20.5% | 47.3% | 51.7% |
Judge Nathaniel Doan's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,057 | 46.0% | 34.2% | 40.3% |
| 2025 | 1,078 | 45.5% | 36.2% | 37.7% |
| 2026 | 335 | 53.1% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Nathaniel Doan's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established79
- Continuity of symptomatology since service58
- Service connection established47
- Caused by the service-connected disability27
- In-service noise exposure conceded17
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service15
- Service records negative or silent9
- Criteria for service connection met4
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis68
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service37
- Service records negative or silent25
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis20
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim18
- Current diagnosis established16
- Already at the maximum schedular rating15
- Evidence persuasively weighs against claim7
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 Nathaniel Doan decisions
Granted
Service-connected PTSD rated 70% from May 23, 2011.; Veteran's post-service employment history shows frequent job losses due to irritability and violence.; Earnings below poverty threshold in most years during appeal period.; Social Security Administration declared Veteran disabled.; Persistent symptoms of anxiety, impaired judgment, hallucinations, and aggressive behavior.; Found unable to maintain substantially gainful employment consistent with education/work history.
Veteran reported in-service injury and treatment for back; STRs unavailable, despite multiple attempts to locate; Inadequate VA examiner opinions that did not consider lay statements or provide adequate rationales
Credible and corroborated MST report; MST occurred in line of duty during inactive duty for training; Etiologically related to PTSD and depression
Denied
Veteran's representative acknowledged ability to maintain employment during this period.; Board agrees TDIU is not warranted for this period.; Service-connected disability did not preclude substantially gainful employment during this period.
No in-service diagnosis or manifestation within presumptive period; Service treatment records silent regarding digestive issues; Post-service diagnosis outside presumptive period; VA examiner found less likely than not related to TERA/herbicide exposure; Treating physician opinion found inadequate due to conclusory nature
Veteran's testimony indicated independence in most ADLs.; VA treatment records corroborated independence.; Clinician opinions relied on non-service-connected disabilities or were contradicted by testimony.
Research your Judge Nathaniel Doan 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 (2024–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.