The Veteran's drug addiction and polysubstance abuse were not incurred in the line of duty due to his own willful misconduct. The Veteran does not have a diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder. Hearing loss and tinnitus are not shown in service or within the first post-service year.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's drug use was found to be not in the line of duty due to his own willful misconduct, which precludes service connection for any disability resulting therefrom.
- Claimed conditions
- drug addiction, polysubstance abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 21, 2013
- Citation
- 1326552
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 1326552.
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 determined that additional development is needed to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors and remands the case for further action on service connection and TDIU issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and medical opinion regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric conditions, as there is potential association between his symptoms and military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed as the March 27, 2025 request for an extension of time to file an appeal from a rating decision issued on December 16, 2019 that denied service connection for depression, drug addiction, and PTSD is not timely.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for an earlier effective date for PTSD service connection is remanded. The VA must obtain the Veteran's complete Vet Center treatment records.
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