The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim, allowing for a de novo review of the character of discharge. The appellant's bad conduct discharge was upgraded to under honorable conditions by an Army Discharge Review Board, setting aside his previous bad conduct discharge. Therefore, his character of discharge is not a bar to receiving VA benefits.
The deciding factor: The upgrade in the character of service from bad conduct to under honorable conditions set aside the prior bar to benefits imposed due to the appellant's bad conduct discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- character of discharge
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 9, 2002
- Citation
- 0204283
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 0204283.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development and adjudication of the issues on appeal, including whether the appellant's spouse’s character of discharge is a bar to VA benefits and service connection for cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that further development is needed due to a failure by VA to comply with notice provisions, and the case is being returned for readjudication.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VCAA notice and failure to consider whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen the issue of whether the character of the appellant's discharge constitutes a bar to VA benefits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case for further development due to conflicting information on the character of discharge for the appellant's period of active duty from February 25, 1970, to January 17, 1972.
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.