Veterans Law Judge
Judge S. B. Mays: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge S. B. Mays signed 7,946 Board decisions covering 14,947 condition issues. The judge granted 25.2% of those issues, denied 22.4% and remanded 48.2%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.0% and remanded 46.9%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is close to it.
Decisions
7,946
2017–2026
Issues decided
14,947
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
25.2%
Board, same conditions: 20.0%
Issues remanded
48.2%
Board, same conditions: 46.9%
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 | 1,062 | 24.3% | 17.2% | 51.9% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 829 | 23.6% | 19.5% | 37.9% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 677 | 35.0% | 28.8% | 34.6% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 567 | 40.6% | 39.6% | 24.0% | 22.7% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 551 | 28.7% | 20.6% | 43.7% | 46.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 460 | 40.9% | 26.1% | 42.6% | 50.4% |
| Hypertension | 429 | 35.2% | 17.0% | 39.2% | 48.8% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 348 | 20.7% | 18.6% | 54.9% | 48.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 336 | 19.0% | 14.3% | 58.3% | 53.0% |
| Migraine | 305 | 42.3% | 30.1% | 40.0% | 42.2% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 277 | 27.4% | 20.5% | 46.9% | 51.7% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 263 | 22.4% | 19.9% | 44.9% | 40.0% |
| Ankle impairment | 248 | 27.4% | 16.8% | 53.6% | 50.4% |
| Hip impairment | 244 | 22.5% | 14.3% | 48.0% | 53.8% |
| Major depressive disorder | 229 | 38.9% | 34.6% | 31.0% | 34.2% |
Judge S. B. Mays's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 679 | 32.3% | 35.6% | 61.7% |
| 2018 | 978 | 38.1% | 37.2% | 57.9% |
| 2019 | 996 | 39.9% | 24.4% | 57.4% |
| 2020 | 969 | 40.5% | 32.9% | 52.2% |
| 2021 | 810 | 40.2% | 27.3% | 54.4% |
| 2022 | 715 | 37.2% | 27.3% | 54.7% |
| 2023 | 790 | 33.5% | 32.8% | 51.6% |
| 2024 | 809 | 36.8% | 28.2% | 42.5% |
| 2025 | 852 | 35.6% | 33.5% | 39.7% |
| 2026 | 348 | 46.6% | 32.2% | 47.1% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge S. B. Mays's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established273
- Service connection established71
- In-service noise exposure conceded64
- Caused by the service-connected disability50
- Resolution of doubt in veteran's favor37
- Service records negative or silent20
- Continuity of symptomatology since service19
- Criteria for service connection met17
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis158
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim135
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service107
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis94
- Service records negative or silent91
- Already at the maximum schedular rating71
- Current diagnosis established64
- Criteria for service connection not met20
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 S. B. Mays decisions
Granted
AOJ granted service connection in Feb 2026; Prior favorable AOJ finding not clearly erroneous; Board grant to avoid prejudice per Green v. McDonough
Severe functional impairment in work, family, and social relations; Prior suicide attempt and ongoing anxiety/panic symptoms; Deficiencies in most areas of occupational and social functioning
Favorable opinions found knee disability aggravated obesity, which caused sleep apnea.; Negative opinions did not adequately address obesity as an intermediate step.; Evidence found in equipoise, with doubt resolved in veteran's favor.
Denied
Service treatment records negative for hearing loss complaints or diagnosis during service or at separation.; Multiple VA examinations provided negative nexus opinions, citing long post-service gap, alternative explanations (aging, tumor), and Veteran's reported later onset.; Board found VA opinions probative and persuasive, weighing against causal relationship to service.
No new and relevant evidence submitted since prior denials.; Medical evidence consistent with previous statements and records.; Request to readjudicate denied per 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.156(d), 3.2501.
Original claim denied in October 2017 became final.; No timely appeal or new and material evidence submitted under legacy system.; Subsequent claims filed after appeal period expired.
Research your Judge S. B. Mays 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.