Veterans Law Judge
Judge Thomas English: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2022 to 2024, Veterans Law Judge Thomas English signed 1,684 Board decisions covering 3,448 condition issues. The judge granted 30.6% of those issues, denied 17.1% and remanded 50.8%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.7% and remanded 47.5%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
1,684
2022–2024
Issues decided
3,448
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
30.6%
Board, same conditions: 19.7%
Issues remanded
50.8%
Board, same conditions: 47.5%
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 | 235 | 26.4% | 17.2% | 57.0% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 162 | 34.0% | 19.5% | 28.4% | 34.6% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 140 | 45.7% | 26.2% | 45.7% | 50.3% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 132 | 51.5% | 28.8% | 32.6% | 38.1% |
| Tinnitus | 123 | 63.4% | 39.6% | 11.4% | 22.8% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 95 | 31.6% | 20.6% | 57.9% | 46.0% |
| Hypertension | 94 | 30.9% | 17.1% | 46.8% | 48.7% |
| Hip impairment | 94 | 16.0% | 14.3% | 71.3% | 53.8% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 90 | 36.7% | 18.6% | 48.9% | 48.0% |
| Migraine | 84 | 45.2% | 30.1% | 44.0% | 42.2% |
| Shoulder impairment | 82 | 24.4% | 14.3% | 57.3% | 53.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 71 | 35.2% | 20.5% | 50.7% | 51.7% |
| Paralysis of sciatic nerve or external popliteal nerve | 61 | 23.0% | 22.0% | 60.7% | 49.5% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 60 | 36.7% | 19.9% | 46.7% | 40.0% |
| Ankle impairment | 56 | 28.6% | 16.8% | 55.4% | 50.4% |
Judge Thomas English's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 643 | 45.7% | 25.0% | 53.5% |
| 2024 | 1,026 | 50.1% | 27.6% | 45.9% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Thomas English's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established117
- Continuity of symptomatology since service40
- Service connection established20
- Caused by the service-connected disability9
- Service records negative or silent8
- In-service noise exposure conceded7
- Positive nexus opinion from VA examiner5
- Lack of negative nexus opinion5
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis39
- Current diagnosis established28
- Service records negative or silent22
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis15
- Already at the maximum schedular rating12
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service9
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim7
- Evidence persuasively against the claim5
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 Thomas English decisions
Granted
Service treatment records indicate in-service meniscus tear.; Veteran credible regarding onset and persistence of pain.; Pain constitutes functional impairment.
Current disability confirmed by VA exam; In-service event (noise exposure) presumed reasonable; Veteran's lay statements found credible; Continuity of symptomatology established; Benefit of doubt resolved in veteran's favor
Veteran reported onset during service due to awkward positions while running cables.; Symptoms persisted and progressively worsened since service.; Veteran found competent and credible regarding onset and worsening.; Lack of negative nexus opinion.
Denied
No present disability established.; High cholesterol is a laboratory finding, not a disability.
2023 VA examination noted condition affects 5-19% of body/exposed areas.; No systemic therapy required in past 12 months.; Evidence does not meet criteria for 30% or 60% rating levels.
No evidence of ankylosis found on examinations.; Pain and functional loss did not approximate ankylosis.; Rating criteria for 50% or higher requires ankylosis.
Research your Judge Thomas English 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 (2022–2024) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.