The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for alcoholism and his petition to reopen his previously denied claim for service connection for pancreatitis. The decision found that the veteran's alcoholism was not related to his service-connected Crohn's disease or ureterolithiasis, and that there is no clear medical evidence establishing a relationship between his alcoholism and these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the veteran's alcoholism did not meet the criteria for direct service connection due to willful misconduct as per VA regulations. The claim was also denied on secondary basis because there was insufficient evidence showing a causal link between the veteran's alcoholism and his service-connected Crohn's disease or ureterolithiasis.
- Claimed conditions
- Alcoholism, Crohn's disease, Ureterolithiasis (stone in ureter)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 15, 2006
- Citation
- 0604416
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0604416.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for iron deficiency anemia (IDA) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected Crohn's disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and ileocecal valve scarring.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the claims for service connection must be remanded due to inadequate examinations and opinions. The Veteran's skin disorder, respiratory disorder, Crohn's disease, eye disorder, and migraines are all being reviewed again with new medical evaluations.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's Crohn's disease is rated at 60 percent, effective from the date of the rating decision on appeal.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unemployable from performing all forms of substantially gainful employment that are consistent with his education and occupational experience, granting entitlement to TDIU.
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