The Board found that the appellant was insane at the time of his AWOL periods and granted service connection for insanity and paranoia, thus not considering it a bar to VA benefits.
The deciding factor: Medical evidence supported the finding that the appellant was insane during his in-service misconduct, which allowed him to avoid having his discharge characterized as dishonorable.
- Claimed conditions
- Insanity, Paranoid Schizophrenia
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19131902
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,036 · Granted: 27% (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 19131902.
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.
- Granted
The Board found that the Appellant was insane at the time of his misconduct leading to discharge, lifting any bars to benefits. Therefore, he is entitled to receive VA benefits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the issue of whether the appellant's discharge from service constitutes a bar to VA benefits is remanded due to an error in fulfilling VA's duty to assist not to seek a medical opinion on the matter of insanity. The appellant was found to have received treatment for severe anxiety and continued mental health treatment throughout his active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the issue of whether the appellant's discharge from service constitutes a bar to VA benefits is remanded due to an error in fulfilling VA's duty to assist not to seek a medical opinion on the matter of insanity. The appellant was found to have received treatment for severe anxiety and continued mental health treatment throughout his active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the issue of whether the appellant's discharge from service constitutes a bar to VA benefits is remanded due to an error in fulfilling VA's duty to assist not to seek a medical opinion on the matter of insanity. The appellant was found to have received treatment for severe anxiety and continued mental health treatment throughout his active duty service.
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