Veterans Law Judge
Judge S. Merrick: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2020 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge S. Merrick signed 889 Board decisions covering 1,404 condition issues. The judge granted 31.8% of those issues, denied 22.6% and remanded 43.7%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.4% and remanded 45.9%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
889
2020–2026
Issues decided
1,404
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
31.8%
Board, same conditions: 20.4%
Issues remanded
43.7%
Board, same conditions: 45.9%
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 | 87 | 17.2% | 17.3% | 52.9% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 84 | 47.6% | 19.5% | 16.7% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 72 | 40.3% | 28.9% | 30.6% | 38.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 67 | 50.7% | 26.2% | 43.3% | 50.3% |
| Tinnitus | 61 | 70.5% | 39.6% | 14.8% | 22.8% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 45 | 44.4% | 20.6% | 40.0% | 46.1% |
| Migraine | 40 | 52.5% | 30.1% | 27.5% | 42.2% |
| Shoulder impairment | 36 | 16.7% | 14.3% | 69.4% | 53.0% |
| Hypertension | 36 | 27.8% | 17.1% | 47.2% | 48.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 35 | 40.0% | 18.6% | 51.4% | 48.0% |
| Hip impairment | 30 | 13.3% | 14.3% | 63.3% | 53.8% |
| Ankle impairment | 26 | 15.4% | 16.9% | 50.0% | 50.4% |
Judge S. Merrick's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55 | 30.9% | 45.5% | 54.5% |
| 2022 | 76 | 32.9% | 32.9% | 53.9% |
| 2023 | 231 | 49.8% | 21.2% | 37.2% |
| 2024 | 298 | 52.7% | 19.5% | 37.6% |
| 2025 | 130 | 49.2% | 36.9% | 50.8% |
| 2026 | 88 | 52.3% | 34.1% | 39.8% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge S. Merrick's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established96
- Continuity of symptomatology since service36
- Service connection established29
- In-service noise exposure conceded14
- In-service noise exposure established5
- Conceded herbicide exposure3
- Tinnitus, a symptom of hearing loss, began in service2
- Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude substantially gainful employment2
Most common reasons in denials
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis16
- Service records negative or silent13
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim13
- No current diagnosis9
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service9
- Current diagnosis established8
- Already at the maximum schedular rating3
- Continuity of symptomatology since service3
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. Merrick decisions
Granted
Veteran reported tinnitus with onset in service.; Resolving all doubt in Veteran's favor.; Tinnitus can be diagnosed by lay statements alone.
Noise exposure in service conceded; Veteran reported hearing loss onset in service; Private opinion linked loss to auditory trauma; Evidence in approximate balance, doubt resolved in favor
Credible statements regarding current tinnitus; Documented complaints during and shortly after discharge; Evidence in approximate balance, benefit of doubt applied
Denied
No in-service onset or aggravation found; No competent medical opinion linking to service; Evidence persuasively weighs against service connection
Service treatment records silent regarding mental health issues.; Post-service records showed negative mental health screenings until 2019.; VA examination diagnosed bereavement, not PTSD, and opined condition was less likely than not related to service.
Audiometric testing showed Level IV/VI hearing acuity; Exceptional hearing pattern met criteria for 20% rating; Evidence weighed against assignment of increased rating
Research your Judge S. Merrick 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 (2020–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.