The Board has remanded the issue of whether the appellant's discharge is a bar to VA compensation benefits due to insufficient evidence regarding his mental state during service. The case will be reviewed after obtaining a medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The decision was remanded because there were insufficient records and contact information for the appellant, preventing a proper assessment of his mental health at the time of discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- Unauthorized absence in February 1997, Unauthorized absence in March 1997, Use of marijuana in April 1997
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20079982
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,874 · Granted: 33% (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 20079982.
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
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