The Board found that the June 1989 decision, which denied service connection for the cause of death, was incorrect due to a failure to consider evidence linking alcoholism and drug addiction to the veteran's service-connected anxiety neurosis. The Board granted service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The Board recognized that the veteran used alcohol and drugs as self-medication for his service-connected anxiety neurosis, which was outcome determinative in determining whether he should have been granted service connection for the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Alcoholism, Anxiety Neurosis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 12, 2004
- Citation
- 0428124
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 0428124.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for PTSD was dismissed due to an improper concurrent election of review options, and the claim for alcoholism was denied as a matter of law.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for PTSD beginning March 16, 2010 and denied a motion for revision of an August 2007 rating decision on the basis of clear and unmistakable error (CUE). The Board also granted service connection for alcoholism, major depressive disorder, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, sleep apnea, and increased ratings for PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, as new evidence has been received that warrants readjudication.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to a lack of a VA medical examination and opinion prior to rating his disability. The Veteran is diagnosed with multiple psychiatric disabilities, including depression, anxiety, irritability and anger, trauma/stressor-related disorder, and alcoholism. The Board requires a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
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