The Board finds that the Veteran's prolonged unauthorized absence, including a 22-month period from April 1983 to February 1985, was warranted due to compelling circumstances such as his son's premature death and subsequent care. The Board resolves doubt in favor of the appellant and concludes that the character of discharge is not considered a bar to VA compensation benefits.
The deciding factor: The prolonged unauthorized absence from April 1983 to February 1985 was due to compelling circumstances such as the Veteran's son's premature death, which required his immediate presence at home. The Board finds this absences were warranted and resolves doubt in favor of the appellant.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 6, 2009
- Citation
- 0937933
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 0937933.
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.
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