Veterans Law Judge
Judge William H. Donnelly: BVA decisions and outcomes
From 2017 to 2026, Veterans Law Judge William H. Donnelly signed 7,318 Board decisions covering 15,225 condition issues. The judge granted 20.2% of those issues, denied 34.8% and remanded 42.5%. For the same mix of conditions, the rest of the Board granted 20.0% and remanded 46.7%, so this judge's grant rate is close to the Board's and the remand rate is below it.
Decisions
7,318
2017–2026
Issues decided
15,225
One issue per condition per decision
Issues granted
20.2%
Board, same conditions: 20.0%
Issues remanded
42.5%
Board, same conditions: 46.7%
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 | 1,194 | 17.3% | 17.3% | 47.7% | 51.1% |
| Hearing loss | 818 | 23.1% | 19.5% | 30.1% | 34.6% |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 635 | 30.9% | 28.9% | 31.5% | 38.2% |
| Tinnitus | 574 | 37.3% | 39.6% | 20.7% | 22.8% |
| Degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis) | 531 | 22.8% | 20.6% | 42.0% | 46.1% |
| Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive central mixed) | 488 | 41.6% | 26.1% | 35.5% | 50.5% |
| Hypertension | 409 | 18.6% | 17.1% | 36.4% | 48.8% |
| Intervertebral disc syndrome | 386 | 20.5% | 18.6% | 42.2% | 48.1% |
| Migraine | 365 | 34.2% | 30.1% | 34.8% | 42.2% |
| Shoulder impairment | 342 | 16.4% | 14.3% | 45.0% | 53.1% |
| Hip impairment | 331 | 16.3% | 14.3% | 45.3% | 53.9% |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 285 | 14.4% | 20.6% | 54.7% | 51.7% |
| Ankle impairment | 258 | 20.2% | 16.8% | 45.7% | 50.5% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 250 | 22.8% | 19.9% | 34.8% | 40.1% |
| Major depressive disorder | 199 | 40.2% | 34.6% | 24.6% | 34.3% |
Judge William H. Donnelly's decisions by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 28 | 25.0% | 53.6% | 42.9% |
| 2018 | 304 | 29.6% | 53.9% | 45.4% |
| 2019 | 889 | 34.4% | 49.7% | 49.7% |
| 2020 | 1,083 | 31.3% | 44.1% | 49.3% |
| 2021 | 845 | 40.1% | 37.2% | 49.5% |
| 2022 | 857 | 38.6% | 32.4% | 52.9% |
| 2023 | 887 | 34.2% | 40.0% | 48.5% |
| 2024 | 979 | 37.2% | 44.2% | 39.2% |
| 2025 | 1,084 | 31.8% | 45.9% | 41.2% |
| 2026 | 362 | 43.9% | 49.7% | 32.0% |
Why the Board granted or denied issues in Judge William H. Donnelly's decisions
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established129
- Service connection established71
- Continuity of symptomatology since service54
- Caused by the service-connected disability46
- In-service noise exposure conceded32
- Service records negative or silent18
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability14
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service12
Most common reasons in denials
- No current diagnosis220
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service194
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis183
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim179
- Service records negative or silent161
- Current diagnosis established102
- Already at the maximum schedular rating35
- No continuity of symptomatology15
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 William H. Donnelly decisions
Granted
Evidence in equipoise regarding diabetes causation by hypertension medication; Benefit of the doubt applied to grant service connection; No evidence of diabetes in service treatment records
Veteran has current diagnosis of hypertension.; Veteran presumed exposed to herbicides in Guam in June 1978.; Hypertension is a presumptive condition under the PACT Act.
Positive nexus opinion from VA examiner; Service connection established as directly related to service; Awarded 20 percent rating effective December 20, 2021
Denied
Symptoms prior to June 3, 2014, did not more closely approximate criteria for a rating higher than 50 percent.; Symptoms from June 3, 2014, to January 6, 2017, warranted a 70 percent rating, but not higher.; Symptoms from April 13, 2018, to June 30, 2022, warranted a 70 percent rating, but not higher.; Symptoms since November 14, 2022, warranted a 70 percent rating, but not higher.
No diagnosis of jaundice during service or post-service.; Cataracts and dry eyes diagnosed nearly 40 years after service.; Examiner opined conditions were age-related and not linked to service.
Veteran's symptoms did not meet criteria for 50% rating.; Reliability and productivity not reduced more than occasionally.; Continued overall productivity and social functioning.
Research your Judge William H. Donnelly 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 (2017–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.