The veteran is seeking service connection for substance abuse. The RO must ensure all VCAA notice and duty to assist obligations have been satisfied, including obtaining missing service medical records from Fort Knox and Fort Dix.
The deciding factor: Service connection was not established on the merits due to lack of evidence in the claims file.
- Claimed conditions
- substance abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2004
- Citation
- 0409838
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 0409838.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for depression and substance abuse, finding no evidence of a relationship to the Veteran's military service or any service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer, major depressive disorder, sleep apnea, headaches, substance abuse, and chronic pain syndrome as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by the Veteran's active service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a low back disability, but remanded claims for mental health disability, substance abuse, type two diabetes mellitus (DMII), hormonal imbalance, bilateral glaucoma, and left knee disability.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and headaches were denied. An increased rating of 20 percent, but no higher, for right foot pes planus was granted prior to August 10, 2023, and denied on and after that date. Other issues related to ratings and effective dates were also denied or remanded.
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