The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric impairment as a manifestation of an undiagnosed illness, finding that his symptoms were due to known clinical entities and not related to an undiagnosed condition.
The deciding factor: The veteran's anxiety and aggressiveness were considered sub-clinical and attributed to known clinical entities such as alcohol abuse and nicotine dependence.
- Claimed conditions
- Anxiety disorder, Adjustment disorder, ETOH abuse, Nicotine dependence with psychological dependence
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 26, 2002
- Citation
- 0213073
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 0213073.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable rating for the veteran's right ear hearing loss and an increased rating for his anxiety disorder, but granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation effective May 13, 2023.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, anxiety disorder, and a bilateral eye condition as the evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include depressive disorder and anxiety, as well as obstructive sleep apnea.
- Denied
The Board denied the appeals for increased ratings and TDIU, as the evidence did not support higher ratings or unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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