The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for alcoholism and drug abuse cannot be granted as such conditions are not considered to have been incurred or aggravated during active military service.
The deciding factor: Service connection for alcohol and drug abuse is prohibited by law due to the provisions of Section 8052 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1990, which prohibits compensation for disabilities resulting from personal willful misconduct or abuse of alcohol or drugs.
- Claimed conditions
- alcoholism, drug abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 17, 2001
- Citation
- 0122594
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 0122594.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervicalgia, jaw disability, stomach disability, and drug abuse as the evidence did not support a finding of an in-service incurrence or aggravation of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for alcoholism as it requires a new opinion to address whether clear and unmistakable evidence demonstrates that the Veteran's alcohol use disorder both pre-existed his active military service and was not aggravated during service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted the application to reopen claims for service connection for alcoholism and psychiatric disability, but remanded the matter of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Granted
The Board found that the veteran's Notice of Disagreement (NOD) to the August 2013 rating decision was timely filed, granting the appeal.
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.