The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, finding no evidence of current disabilities and noting that alcohol and cocaine abuse are not considered disabilities for VA compensation purposes.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of a current psychiatric disability for VA compensation purposes; the most recent diagnosis was chronic alcohol and cocaine abuse.
- Claimed conditions
- alcohol abuse, cocaine abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2001
- Citation
- 0116102
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 0116102.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and alcohol abuse as secondary to posttraumatic stress disorder for further development, including obtaining medical opinions on the etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands all claims for service connection and a compensable disability rating due to the failure of the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) to properly obtain relevant private medical records prior to making a decision on appeal.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, loss of use of bodily organs, hair loss, hearing loss, and other conditions. Some claims were remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The Board denied the veteran's appeal for service connection for alcohol abuse, fatigue and PTSD under 38 U.S.C. chapter 17 as the appeal was not timely filed.
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