Veterans Law Judge
Judge S. Schick: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2021 to 2025, Veterans Law Judge S. Schick signed 491 Board decisions covering 618 condition issues. The judge granted 29.9% of those issues, denied 30.9% and remanded 38.3%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 21.7% and remanded 43.6%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
491
2021–2025
Issues decided
618
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
29.9%
Board, same conditions: 21.7%
Issues remanded
38.3%
Board, same conditions: 43.6%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hearing loss | 58 | 25.9% | 19.5% | 29.3% | 34.6% |
| Tinnitus | 53 | 62.3% | 39.6% | 15.1% | 22.8% |
| Knee impairment | 35 | 31.4% | 17.3% | 31.4% | 51.1% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 26 | 57.7% | 28.9% | 26.9% | 38.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 23 | 30.4% | 26.2% | 52.2% | 50.3% |
| Migraine | 22 | 36.4% | 30.1% | 36.4% | 42.2% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 22 | 31.8% | 18.6% | 36.4% | 48.0% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 21 | 42.9% | 20.6% | 9.5% | 46.1% |
Judge S. Schick's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 379 | 33.2% | 39.6% | 32.5% |
| 2025 | 90 | 42.2% | 41.1% | 34.4% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge S. Schick's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established26
- In-service noise exposure conceded7
- Caused by the service-connected disability6
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service4
- Continuity of symptomatology since service4
- Service connection established4
- Continuous pursuit of claim established2
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis13
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service12
- Current diagnosis established11
- Service records negative or silent10
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis7
- Evidence persuasively against service connection2
- No post-service clinical records showing hearing loss2
- No current bilateral hearing loss disability for VA purposes2
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. Schick decisions
Granted
Favorable finding of current lumbar spine stenosis by AOJ; Credible lay statements from Veteran and spouse regarding in-service injury and post-service symptoms; Competent VA clinician opinions establishing nexus between in-service injury and current disability
Symptoms more closely approximate 70% criteria; Occupational and social impairment noted; Suicidal ideation and neglect of hygiene present
Audiometric testing showed noncompensable rating; No evidence of invalid test or worse hearing; Lay statements considered but not persuasive over objective testing
Denied
Did not meet criteria for area of scarring; No underlying soft tissue damage shown; Claim denied
No factually ascertainable increase in disability in the year prior to claim; VA treatment records noted denial of symptoms; Single instance of missing work insufficient for increase
Failure to attend scheduled VA examination; No in-service complaints or treatment for tinnitus; Late filing of claim without continuity of symptomatology
Research your Judge S. Schick 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 (2021–2025) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.