The Board found that the service member's discharge from active military service is a bar to VA benefits in the form of entitlement to service connection for the cause of death, death pension benefits, and accrued benefits due to his OTH discharge.
The deciding factor: The appellant did not provide evidence demonstrating her husband was insane at the time of the offense leading to his OTH discharge, nor did she offer any credible explanation for his unauthorized absence from active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 15, 2009
- Citation
- 0934457
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 0934457.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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).
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