The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including an impulse control disorder. The claim of secondary drug addiction is remanded to obtain a VA examination and determine if the current condition was caused or aggravated by the service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current drug addiction may be considered secondary to his service-connected impulse control disorder due to aggravation during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Impulse Control Disorder, Bipolar Disorder NOS, Depressive Disorder NOS
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 30, 2016
- Citation
- 1639812
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 1639812.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found a pre-decisional duty to assist error and remands the case for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder(s).
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of the previously denied claim for service connection for PTSD and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression, but denied a compensable disability rating for left ring finger ankylosis at proximal interphalangeal joint. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was remanded.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of November 3, 2010, for the award of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran is denied an effective date prior to January 27, 2020 for the award of service connection for PTSD and related psychiatric conditions.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.