Veterans Law Judge
Judge V. Chiappetta: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2024, Veterans Law Judge V. Chiappetta signed 5,378 Board decisions covering 11,257 condition issues. The judge granted 19.3% of those issues, denied 19.5% and remanded 57.3%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 19.7% and remanded 47.3%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is above it.
Decisions
5,378
2017–2024
Issues decided
11,257
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
19.3%
Board, same conditions: 19.7%
Issues remanded
57.3%
Board, same conditions: 47.3%
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 | 947 | 17.0% | 17.3% | 64.3% | 51.0% |
| Hearing loss | 654 | 14.8% | 19.5% | 46.2% | 34.5% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 548 | 35.2% | 28.8% | 45.6% | 38.1% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 422 | 20.6% | 20.7% | 55.9% | 46.0% |
| Tinnitus | 408 | 29.2% | 39.7% | 31.9% | 22.7% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 341 | 24.9% | 26.2% | 58.4% | 50.3% |
| Hypertension | 338 | 14.2% | 17.2% | 55.3% | 48.7% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 278 | 19.4% | 18.6% | 58.3% | 48.0% |
| Shoulder impairment | 260 | 16.2% | 14.3% | 65.4% | 53.0% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 219 | 21.5% | 20.5% | 59.8% | 51.6% |
| Ankle impairment | 207 | 19.3% | 16.8% | 63.3% | 50.3% |
| Hip impairment | 206 | 17.0% | 14.3% | 66.0% | 53.7% |
| Migraine | 199 | 33.7% | 30.1% | 56.8% | 42.1% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 181 | 24.9% | 19.9% | 39.2% | 40.1% |
| Major depressive disorder | 130 | 40.8% | 34.6% | 40.8% | 34.2% |
Judge V. Chiappetta's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 518 | 23.7% | 30.9% | 59.1% |
| 2018 | 832 | 31.6% | 34.6% | 61.1% |
| 2019 | 827 | 32.0% | 34.6% | 61.5% |
| 2020 | 857 | 32.4% | 32.4% | 61.8% |
| 2021 | 764 | 34.3% | 28.4% | 57.9% |
| 2022 | 800 | 37.4% | 24.8% | 60.5% |
| 2023 | 738 | 37.7% | 24.1% | 58.7% |
| 2024 | 42 | 47.6% | 19.0% | 54.8% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge V. Chiappetta's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established99
- Service connection established39
- Caused by the service-connected disability35
- Continuity of symptomatology since service15
- Resolving all doubt in veteran's favor13
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim10
- Occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas10
- Symptoms approximated 70% rating criteria9
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim227
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service107
- No current diagnosis59
- Service records negative or silent50
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis49
- Already at the maximum schedular rating32
- Current diagnosis established30
- No continuity of symptomatology10
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 V. Chiappetta decisions
Granted
Evidence demonstrates moderate incomplete paralysis.; Resolving doubt in veteran's favor.; Rating is 20 percent, not higher.
Headaches previously granted service connection and 50% rating effective Nov 3, 2009.; Headaches found to be residuals of mononucleosis.; Rating assigned from Nov 13, 2008, to coincide with claim filing date.
Evidence in approximate equipoise regarding severity of PTSD; Benefit of the doubt resolved in Veteran's favor; Symptoms consistent with 70 percent rating criteria
Denied
Congenital defect; Most probative VA opinion; Evidence persuasively against service connection
Weight of the evidence persuasively against a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to April 20, 2016.; METs testing results during the period exceeded 7 METs, and no evidence of cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation was found.; Weight of the evidence persuasively against a rating in excess of 30 percent from April 20, 2016, to August 12, 2021.; No episodes of congestive heart failure found; METs testing results above 3 METs, and ejection fractions generally at or above 50 percent.; Weight of the evidence persuasively against a rating in excess of 60 percent from August 12, 2021.; No evidence of left ventricular dysfunction with ejection fraction less than 30 percent or chronic congestive heart failure.
Flexion never limited to 45 degrees or less; Current 10 percent rating based on painful motion under DC 5252; Evidence does not support rating in excess of 10 percent
Research your Judge V. Chiappetta 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 (2017–2024) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.