The Board has reopened the appellant's claim and found that he was insane at the time of his misconduct, thus not barring him from receiving VA benefits. The character of his service is therefore not a bar to VA compensation.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the appellant was experiencing psychiatric symptoms such as auditory hallucinations, suicidal ideation, and a suicide attempt in-service, which rendered him unable to adapt to naval service.
- Claimed conditions
- Insanity, Histrionic personality disorder, Adjustment disorder with mixed emotional features, Alcohol abuse, Schizophrenia
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19140645
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 19140645.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically schizophrenia, is rated at 70 percent disabling. The appeal for a TDIU has been granted.
- 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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