Veterans Law Judge
Judge Rebecca N. Poulson: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Rebecca N. Poulson signed 3,720 Board decisions covering 7,372 condition issues. The judge granted 19.7% of those issues, denied 33.4% and remanded 44.7%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.6% and remanded 45.8%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is close to it.
Decisions
3,720
2017–2026
Issues decided
7,372
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
19.7%
Board, same conditions: 20.6%
Issues remanded
44.7%
Board, same conditions: 45.8%
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 | 550 | 17.6% | 17.3% | 43.8% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 404 | 14.1% | 19.5% | 32.9% | 34.6% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 318 | 17.3% | 26.3% | 60.7% | 50.3% |
| Tinnitus | 313 | 24.6% | 39.7% | 31.6% | 22.7% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 298 | 31.2% | 28.9% | 30.5% | 38.1% |
| Hypertension | 219 | 22.8% | 17.1% | 49.8% | 48.7% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 204 | 20.1% | 20.7% | 44.1% | 46.1% |
| Migraine | 198 | 32.8% | 30.1% | 37.9% | 42.2% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 189 | 16.4% | 18.7% | 50.8% | 48.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 171 | 14.0% | 14.3% | 46.2% | 53.1% |
| Hip impairment | 170 | 12.9% | 14.3% | 45.9% | 53.8% |
| Ankle impairment | 125 | 20.0% | 16.8% | 50.4% | 50.4% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 102 | 22.5% | 20.0% | 36.3% | 40.1% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 98 | 20.4% | 20.5% | 58.2% | 51.7% |
| Cervical spine limitation of motion | 91 | 14.3% | 13.1% | 56.0% | 58.4% |
Judge Rebecca N. Poulson's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 74 | 28.4% | 58.1% | 70.3% |
| 2019 | 61 | 49.2% | 34.4% | 59.0% |
| 2020 | 26 | 23.1% | 23.1% | 69.2% |
| 2021 | 135 | 28.1% | 32.6% | 51.9% |
| 2022 | 592 | 34.6% | 30.9% | 50.2% |
| 2023 | 702 | 31.6% | 37.7% | 53.4% |
| 2024 | 840 | 34.3% | 40.5% | 45.1% |
| 2025 | 936 | 31.8% | 42.8% | 48.3% |
| 2026 | 335 | 35.8% | 34.6% | 45.7% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Rebecca N. Poulson's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established58
- Service connection established38
- In-service noise exposure conceded29
- Caused by the service-connected disability29
- Continuity of symptomatology since service13
- Criteria for service connection met12
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability8
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service7
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis113
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service79
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis75
- Service records negative or silent63
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim55
- Current diagnosis established41
- Already at the maximum schedular rating28
- Evidence persuasively weighs against service connection20
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 Rebecca N. Poulson decisions
Granted
Headaches rated under DC 8100; 50% rating for very frequent, completely prostrating, prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability; Headache log documented 55 prostrating headaches over 8 months, many lasting all day; Veteran reported missing work and needing to rest in dark room; Benefit of doubt afforded to Veteran
Board found evidence in equipoise; VA opinions inadequate; Private surgeon opinion found most probative
Claim for MS in April 2009 reasonably encompassed bowel leakage; Effective date of April 13, 2009, granted for MS residuals
Denied
Insufficient evidence of hospitalizations for ketoacidosis/hypoglycemia; Conflicting examiner findings on hospitalizations; Veteran's subjective reports not sufficient for higher rating
No probative evidence relating back disability to service; No lay statements supporting service connection; Evidence weighs against entitlement
Veteran's symptoms do not meet criteria for higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7319 (pre- or post-amendment).; Veteran's symptoms do not meet criteria for higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7347 (pre- or post-amendment).; Evidence persuasively weighs against a rating in excess of 30 percent.
Research your Judge Rebecca N. Poulson 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.