Veterans Law Judge
Judge Timothy Cothrel: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2022 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge Timothy Cothrel signed 2,604 Board decisions covering 5,835 condition issues. The judge granted 44.9% of those issues, denied 24.3% and remanded 28.1%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.5% and remanded 46.1%, so this judge's grant rate is above the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
2,604
2022–2026
Issues decided
5,835
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
44.9%
Board, same conditions: 20.5%
Issues remanded
28.1%
Board, same conditions: 46.1%
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 | 448 | 48.4% | 17.2% | 26.8% | 51.2% |
| Hearing loss | 256 | 39.8% | 19.4% | 14.5% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 234 | 51.7% | 28.8% | 20.1% | 38.2% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 231 | 66.7% | 26.1% | 21.2% | 50.4% |
| Tinnitus | 196 | 67.9% | 39.5% | 5.6% | 22.8% |
| Migraine | 157 | 63.7% | 30.0% | 19.1% | 42.3% |
| Hypertension | 156 | 42.3% | 17.1% | 24.4% | 48.8% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 149 | 62.4% | 20.6% | 19.5% | 46.1% |
| Shoulder impairment | 143 | 45.5% | 14.2% | 30.1% | 53.1% |
| Hip impairment | 127 | 44.1% | 14.2% | 26.8% | 53.9% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 125 | 52.0% | 18.6% | 22.4% | 48.1% |
| Ankle impairment | 115 | 37.4% | 16.8% | 31.3% | 50.5% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 101 | 58.4% | 20.4% | 29.7% | 51.8% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 100 | 43.0% | 19.9% | 26.0% | 40.1% |
| Cervical spine limitation of motion | 84 | 46.4% | 13.0% | 26.2% | 58.5% |
Judge Timothy Cothrel's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 552 | 55.6% | 27.7% | 49.5% |
| 2024 | 786 | 59.5% | 32.1% | 31.9% |
| 2025 | 906 | 64.3% | 36.1% | 22.3% |
| 2026 | 350 | 70.6% | 32.0% | 18.6% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge Timothy Cothrel's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established145
- Service connection established44
- Caused by the service-connected disability31
- In-service noise exposure conceded23
- Criteria for service connection met15
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service14
- Benefit-of-the-doubt doctrine applied11
- Service records negative or silent10
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis38
- Current diagnosis established34
- Service records negative or silent33
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service28
- Already at the maximum schedular rating24
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis20
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim9
- Criteria for service connection not met8
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 Timothy Cothrel decisions
Granted
38 U.S.C. §§ 1110, 5107; 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.102, 3.303; MOS as Dental Hygienist at Dugway Proving Ground; Likely exposure to chemicals including mercury, PRA, BisGMA, BHT, HMBP, DPCL, TPSb, HERAM, TEGOMA; Veteran reported potential exposure to Agent Orange at Dugway; Medical literature links exposures to lymphocytic leukemia; Benefit-of-the-doubt doctrine applied
In-service injury documented in STRS (patellofemoral pain syndrome); Current diagnosis of arthritis and meniscal tears; Inadequate VA opinion (failed to consider lay statements, based on absent records); Benefit of the doubt applied due to approximate balance of evidence
Competent medical evidence of current disability (breast cancer); Competent medical evidence of in-service injury/disease (TERA exposure); Conflicting medical opinions on nexus, resolved by benefit of doubt
Denied
Current 10% rating is maximum schedular rating; No basis for extraschedular rating; Symptoms do not meet criteria for marked interference with employment
No current disability manifested; Insufficient detail on limitations; No treatment records provided
Prior to August 19, 2024, no worse than Level IV hearing loss in the right ear and Level II in the left ear.; Since August 19, 2024, no worse than Level V hearing loss in both ears.; Criteria for higher ratings not met.
Research your Judge Timothy Cothrel 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 (2022–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.