Veterans Law Judge
Judge Paul Sorisio: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Paul Sorisio signed 8,315 Board decisions covering 17,126 condition issues. The judge granted 23.4% of those issues, denied 24.0% and remanded 48.5%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.8% and remanded 47.0%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is close to it.
Decisions
8,315
2017–2026
Issues decided
17,126
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
23.4%
Board, same conditions: 19.8%
Issues remanded
48.5%
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 | 1,376 | 24.0% | 17.2% | 51.3% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 840 | 27.4% | 19.4% | 30.1% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 761 | 34.4% | 28.8% | 33.9% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 635 | 49.4% | 39.5% | 16.9% | 22.8% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 620 | 30.3% | 20.6% | 42.7% | 46.1% |
| Hypertension | 531 | 17.9% | 17.1% | 53.3% | 48.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 490 | 30.2% | 26.2% | 47.1% | 50.4% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 420 | 23.1% | 18.6% | 47.1% | 48.0% |
| Migraine | 392 | 32.1% | 30.1% | 45.2% | 42.1% |
| Shoulder impairment | 363 | 19.0% | 14.3% | 57.0% | 53.0% |
| Ankle impairment | 331 | 11.5% | 16.9% | 58.9% | 50.3% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 331 | 26.6% | 20.5% | 53.8% | 51.7% |
| Hip impairment | 330 | 25.2% | 14.2% | 47.9% | 53.9% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 308 | 24.7% | 19.9% | 41.2% | 40.0% |
| Major depressive disorder | 233 | 39.1% | 34.6% | 33.5% | 34.2% |
Judge Paul Sorisio's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 700 | 25.3% | 42.1% | 51.6% |
| 2018 | 945 | 34.8% | 41.9% | 52.9% |
| 2019 | 932 | 36.3% | 40.6% | 53.9% |
| 2020 | 970 | 40.5% | 32.5% | 53.5% |
| 2021 | 903 | 38.0% | 30.5% | 52.6% |
| 2022 | 766 | 42.0% | 26.2% | 57.3% |
| 2023 | 900 | 38.1% | 28.7% | 55.4% |
| 2024 | 883 | 40.9% | 28.7% | 51.1% |
| 2025 | 937 | 39.6% | 32.9% | 48.0% |
| 2026 | 379 | 55.1% | 26.9% | 44.6% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Paul Sorisio's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established341
- Continuity of symptomatology since service147
- Service connection established118
- Caused by the service-connected disability49
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service24
- In-service noise exposure conceded17
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim17
- Already at the maximum schedular rating17
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim409
- No current diagnosis195
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service157
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis116
- Service records negative or silent94
- Current diagnosis established90
- Already at the maximum schedular rating46
- No continuity of symptomatology37
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 Paul Sorisio decisions
Granted
Continuity of symptomatology since service; Presumed incurred in service; Positive treating physician opinion; Inadequate VA opinion
Competent evidence of current diagnosis; Veteran's testimony regarding in-service onset and continuity of symptoms is credible; Benefit of the doubt applied due to approximate balance of evidence
Competent and credible lay statements regarding history and continuity; Negative VA nexus opinions based solely on lack of treatment records found inadequate; Benefit of the doubt applied due to approximate balance of evidence
Denied
Criteria for rating in excess of 20% not met; Required oral hypoglycemic agents and insulin; No regulation of activities as part of management
No presumptive link for COPD with herbicide exposure.; VA examiner found COPD less likely than not caused by TERA.; Smoking identified as primary risk factor for COPD.
Current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss established.; Service treatment records silent for hearing issues.; Normal hearing at enlistment and separation examinations.; VA examiner found hearing loss configuration inconsistent with noise exposure.; VA examiner found onset many years post-service.; VA examiner found low probability of noise exposure for MOS.; VA examiner opinion found less likely than not related to service.; VA examiner deemed competent and credible.
Research your Judge Paul Sorisio 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 (2017–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.