The Board found that the veteran's injuries in October 1955 were caused by his own willful misconduct and alcohol abuse, thus denying service connection for residuals of head and back injuries.
The deciding factor: The veteran was intoxicated at the time of the incident and had a blood alcohol level of 1.2 mg/ml, indicating he consumed excessive amounts of alcohol, which is considered willful misconduct in this context.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of head injuries, residuals of back injuries
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 29, 2001
- Citation
- 0109258
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0109258.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder, including schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, due to a lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to active duty service.
- Denied
The Board found no current residual of in-service head injuries and denied the claim for service connection.
- Granted
The Board has determined that new and material evidence was submitted to reopen the claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of head injuries. The Veteran's in-service noise exposure is presumed, and his current disabilities are found to be related to active service.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's current low back and coccyx disorders are unrelated to in-service back injuries, and thus denied her claim for service connection.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.