The Veteran's claims for service connection for alcoholism, a personality disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are denied as they are precluded by law.
The deciding factor: Service connection is not warranted due to the Veteran's own willful misconduct (alcohol abuse) and because of the lack of entitlement under the law to direct service connection for alcoholism.
- Claimed conditions
- alcohol dependence, major depression with a panic disorder, anti-social personality disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2009
- Citation
- 0944233
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 0944233.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and will need to obtain an opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability with alcohol dependence.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder, anti-social personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder was dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, alcohol dependence, and anger issues. The denial is based on a lack of verified stressor in service linking these conditions to service, as well as a lack of medical nexus connecting them to service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for alcohol dependence and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, both secondary to service-connected conditions.
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