The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional evidence and a medical opinion regarding whether the appellant was insane at the time of his discharge from service, which could potentially allow him to receive VA benefits despite his character of discharge.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need to gather more information about the appellant's mental health during service and determine if he exhibited insanity concurrent with the misconduct that led to his discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- Psychiatric conditions
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 4, 2020
- Citation
- 20058618
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 20058618.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric conditions and hypertension are found to cause him to require the regular aid and attendance of another person, meeting the criteria for special monthly compensation based on need for regular aid and attendance.
- Granted
The Veteran is unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to her service-connected musculoskeletal and psychiatric disabilities, which prevent her from performing physical or sedentary work.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, and the Board denies entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service medical records and a need for a VA examination to assess the appellant's mental state at the time of his AWOL offenses. The issue is not about service connection, but rather whether the character of the appellant’s discharge is a bar to receiving VA benefits.
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