Veterans Law Judge
Judge R. Feinberg: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge R. Feinberg signed 8,227 Board decisions covering 16,821 condition issues. The judge granted 22.4% of those issues, denied 38.2% and remanded 36.6%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.6% and remanded 47.2%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
8,227
2017–2026
Issues decided
16,821
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
22.4%
Board, same conditions: 19.6%
Issues remanded
36.6%
Board, same conditions: 47.2%
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 | 1,447 | 20.6% | 17.2% | 38.0% | 51.2% |
| Hearing loss | 823 | 21.6% | 19.5% | 25.9% | 34.7% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 705 | 33.2% | 28.8% | 26.1% | 38.2% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 593 | 29.5% | 20.6% | 32.5% | 46.2% |
| Tinnitus | 589 | 38.5% | 39.6% | 16.3% | 22.8% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 511 | 29.4% | 26.2% | 34.4% | 50.5% |
| Hypertension | 480 | 19.8% | 17.1% | 34.8% | 48.9% |
| Shoulder impairment | 418 | 13.2% | 14.3% | 41.1% | 53.2% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 413 | 22.5% | 18.6% | 32.0% | 48.2% |
| Hip impairment | 366 | 21.0% | 14.3% | 41.3% | 53.9% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 342 | 26.6% | 19.9% | 27.2% | 40.2% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 324 | 28.7% | 20.5% | 34.9% | 51.9% |
| Migraine | 310 | 32.9% | 30.1% | 31.9% | 42.3% |
| Ankle impairment | 301 | 16.9% | 16.9% | 38.9% | 50.5% |
| Major depressive disorder | 228 | 36.4% | 34.6% | 25.4% | 34.3% |
Judge R. Feinberg's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 481 | 27.4% | 44.3% | 50.3% |
| 2018 | 1,036 | 30.1% | 48.3% | 49.3% |
| 2019 | 1,015 | 33.3% | 51.3% | 47.2% |
| 2020 | 659 | 31.1% | 47.0% | 44.8% |
| 2021 | 980 | 38.7% | 43.3% | 46.0% |
| 2022 | 893 | 40.9% | 47.7% | 40.5% |
| 2023 | 879 | 37.9% | 48.0% | 39.8% |
| 2024 | 916 | 42.1% | 48.8% | 29.0% |
| 2025 | 1,032 | 45.3% | 48.7% | 32.3% |
| 2026 | 336 | 51.5% | 41.4% | 27.4% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge R. Feinberg's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established148
- Service connection established88
- Caused by the service-connected disability65
- Continuity of symptomatology since service63
- In-service noise exposure conceded60
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service21
- Already at the maximum schedular rating15
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability13
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim415
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service388
- No current diagnosis298
- Service records negative or silent218
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis176
- Current diagnosis established102
- Already at the maximum schedular rating36
- No continuity of symptomatology32
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 R. Feinberg decisions
Granted
Resolving reasonable doubt in veteran's favor; Obesity found to be caused or aggravated by service-connected disabilities; Obesity found to result in functional impairment
June 6, 2023, lay statement found probative for hygiene, friendships, judgment, communication, absenteeism, emotional outbursts, problem-solving, and suicidal thoughts.; Contemporaneous August 2022 and June 2023 VA examinations corroborate portions of the lay statement, showing isolation, poor hygiene, memory impairment, and difficulty with relationships and stress adaptation.; Resolving reasonable doubt in the veteran's favor, the Board found the increase in PTSD severity was factually ascertainable by June 6, 2023.
Evidence consistent with 60% criteria (proteinuria, edema, decreased kidney function); Resolving reasonable doubt in favor of Veteran; Evidence approximates criteria for 60% evaluation
Denied
No current diagnosis of IBS found in the record.; No evidence of IBS symptoms during or approximate to the pendency of the claim.; Service treatment records are silent for IBS complaints, treatment, or diagnosis.
No current diagnosed disability; VA examiner opined less likely than not related to service; Lay statements did not establish impairment affecting earning capacity
Scar did not meet criteria for compensable rating under DC 7801, 7802, 7804, or 7805.; Scar was not painful, unstable, or of significant area.; Scar did not result in limitation of function.
Research your Judge R. Feinberg 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.