The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection was denied. The initial disability rating for unspecified depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder remains at 30 percent, and the claims for GERD and abdominal aortic aneurysm were not granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings or service connection under the applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- April 14, 2017
- Citation
- 1712268
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 1712268.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have precluded him from securing or maintaining substantial gainful employment as of March 31, 2023.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for increased ratings and remanded the claim for service connection of left varicocele.
- Partly granted
The Board restored service connection for unspecified depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder, granted a 70 percent rating for the condition, and also granted service connection for lumbosacral strain.
- Granted
The Veteran's unspecified depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder was granted a 100 percent disability rating from August 20, 2019.
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