Veterans Law Judge
Judge Shaun S. Speranza: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2021 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Shaun S. Speranza signed 3,496 Board decisions covering 6,794 condition issues. The judge granted 30.7% of those issues, denied 18.3% and remanded 48.7%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.3% and remanded 46.6%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
3,496
2021–2026
Issues decided
6,794
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
30.7%
Board, same conditions: 20.3%
Issues remanded
48.7%
Board, same conditions: 46.6%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knee impairment | 525 | 30.1% | 17.2% | 54.5% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 337 | 24.9% | 19.5% | 29.4% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 299 | 45.8% | 28.8% | 30.8% | 38.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 288 | 37.5% | 26.2% | 48.6% | 50.3% |
| Tinnitus | 265 | 47.9% | 39.6% | 20.4% | 22.8% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 206 | 35.9% | 20.6% | 49.0% | 46.0% |
| Hip impairment | 190 | 22.1% | 14.3% | 58.4% | 53.8% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 182 | 33.5% | 18.6% | 48.4% | 48.0% |
| Hypertension | 177 | 34.5% | 17.1% | 40.7% | 48.8% |
| Migraine | 164 | 51.8% | 30.1% | 31.1% | 42.2% |
| Shoulder impairment | 158 | 34.2% | 14.2% | 47.5% | 53.1% |
| Ankle impairment | 120 | 30.0% | 16.8% | 48.3% | 50.4% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 102 | 30.4% | 19.9% | 46.1% | 40.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 97 | 30.9% | 20.5% | 50.5% | 51.7% |
| Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) | 96 | 30.2% | 19.2% | 46.9% | 53.0% |
Judge Shaun S. Speranza's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 576 | 37.7% | 33.0% | 49.0% |
| 2023 | 830 | 43.4% | 26.4% | 54.6% |
| 2024 | 765 | 42.7% | 27.2% | 48.8% |
| 2025 | 949 | 50.4% | 30.0% | 46.5% |
| 2026 | 368 | 55.7% | 19.6% | 43.5% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Shaun S. Speranza's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established66
- In-service noise exposure conceded42
- Service connection established41
- Continuity of symptomatology since service34
- Caused by the service-connected disability22
- Service records negative or silent14
- Evidence weighs in favor of claim14
- Credible lay statements10
Most common reasons in denials
- Service records negative or silent66
- No current diagnosis48
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service41
- Evidence weighs against claim20
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis19
- Current diagnosis established15
- Already at the maximum schedular rating14
- Evidence weighs against earlier effective date11
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 Shaun S. Speranza decisions
Granted
Veteran's lay statements regarding sleep symptoms during service; STRs showing sleep-related symptoms during service; MPRs confirming service locations and dates; VA treatment records showing OSA diagnosis and treatment; Adequate private medical opinion linking OSA to service
Service treatment records show in-service complaints of low back pain.; VA examinations were inadequate for failing to address pertinent evidence and provide adequate rationale.; Private medical specialist provided positive nexus opinion linking condition to service.; Veteran and service member lay statements are credible and probative.
Competent, credible, and consistent lay statements regarding instability; Need for brace and cane indicates severe recurrent subluxation/lateral instability; Prior version of DC 5257 applied
Denied
VA examination findings applied to rating schedule; Results yielded 0 percent disability rating; Exceptional pattern of hearing impairment not shown
No current diagnosis of depression per DSM-5 criteria.; Lay statements insufficient to establish diagnosis without medical expertise.; Service treatment records silent regarding depression.
Lay statements regarding in-service onset were not credible due to inconsistencies with documented medical history.; VA treatment records show tinnitus onset post-April 2007 motor vehicle accident, not during service.; VA examiner determined tinnitus was less likely than not related to noise exposure or TERA.; Motor vehicle accident with head injury identified as greater risk factor than TERA.; Lack of contemporaneous service treatment records for tinnitus.
Research your Judge Shaun S. Speranza 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 (2021–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.