The Board denied the veteran's son's claim for recognition as a 'child' based on permanent incapacity for self-support prior to reaching age 18, finding that his employment and educational achievements did not indicate he became permanently incapable of self-support before turning 18.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the veteran's son had learning problems but also graduated from high school and completed technical training in electronics. He was employed at Wal-Mart for more than full-time hours, indicating he could support himself despite his narcolepsy.
- Claimed conditions
- permanent incapacity for self-support
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 6, 2003
- Citation
- 0300171
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,582 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0300171.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's daughter, P., is claimed to be permanently incapable of self-support prior to her 18th birthday due to sickle cell disease. The Board has ordered a remand for the VA to obtain relevant medical records from SSA and PRISMA Health.
- Granted
The Veteran's child, M.H., is recognized as a helpless child for VA benefits purposes due to permanent incapacity for self-support prior to attaining age 18.
- Denied
The Veteran's son, G.J., was not found to be permanently incapable of self-support prior to turning 18 years old. The evidence showed he graduated high school and attended college until his 18th birthday.
- Denied
The Veteran's daughter, D.R., is not considered permanently incapable of self-support prior to her 18th birthday. Therefore, she does not qualify for additional dependency benefits.
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