The Board has granted the Veteran's eligibility for educational assistance benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) due to his discharge from active duty for alcohol rehabilitation failure, which is considered a physical or mental condition not characterized as disability and did not result from willful misconduct but interfered with his performance of duty.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's discharge was due to alcohol rehabilitation failure, which does not necessarily constitute willful misconduct. The evidence showed no specific conduct related to his release from the program, making it insufficient to establish misconduct.
- Claimed conditions
- Alcohol dependence
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19137073
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (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 19137073.
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 granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD with associated depression, major depressive disorder, polysubstance dependence, cocaine dependence, alcohol dependence, and a history of heroine dependence.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of November 27, 2013, for the grant of service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder with major depressive disorder, anxiety, and alcohol dependence due to new and relevant evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, finding that personality disorders are considered congenital or developmental defects and not subject to service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD with major depressive disorder, alcohol dependence and cannabis use disorder. The issues of entitlement to a rating in excess of 70 percent for psychiatric disability (PTSD) and TDIU based on psychiatric disability are remanded.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.