Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
GrantedPACT Act

The Veteran's service from February 2009 to March 2009 qualifies as active duty for educational assistance benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The Board found that he was discharged due to a service-connected disability and granted his eligibility.

The deciding factor: The Veteran served at least 30 continuous days of active duty, had an uncharacterized discharge which equated to an honorable discharge, and was separated from service due to a service-connected disability (spondylosis).

Claimed conditions
spondylosis, degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine strain
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
January 16, 2020
Citation
20003799

Veterans Law Judge

LESLEY A. REIN

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 20003799.

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.

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.