The Board finds that the appellant's discharge from service was not due to willful and persistent misconduct, thus the character of her discharge is not a bar to VA benefits.
The deciding factor: The March 1988 incident of testing positive for cocaine use constituted a minor offense and was not willful and persistent misconduct.
- Claimed conditions
- Drug abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 3, 2009
- Citation
- 0933115
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0933115.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with alcohol and drug abuse is currently rated at 70 percent, effective August 7, 2019. The Board finds that VA failed to obtain the Veteran’s updated VA medical records related to his psychiatric disability since November 2020 and remands for these records to be obtained.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims of service connection for a leg infection, drug abuse, benign prostatic hyperplasia, onychodystrophy and splitting, sleep disorder, fatigue, and concentration problems were denied as secondary to his service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of reopening his PTSD with depression, alcohol and drug abuse due to lack of new and material evidence. The Veteran also has a depressive disorder, NOS, but it is not shown to be related or attributable to his military service.
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