The Veteran's claims for service connection for a sleep disorder and alcohol abuse as secondary to PTSD are denied. The Veteran is granted service connection for headaches, with a 10% rating prior to June 16, 2011, and a 30% rating thereafter. Service connection for PTSD is granted at various levels of severity from June 7, 2008, to December 28, 2015.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims were denied as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis of a sleep disorder or alcohol abuse independent of his service-connected PTSD. The Veteran is granted service connection for headaches with the lower rating being appropriate given the frequency and severity of his symptoms prior to June 16, 2011.
- Claimed conditions
- Sleep Disorder, Alcohol Abuse
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2017
- Citation
- 1731935
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 1731935.
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 bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for PTSD with alcohol abuse was granted, and the Board determined that a 70 percent evaluation is warranted based on occupational and social impairment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for COPD and Sleep Disorder due to insufficient development, including a lack of VA examinations or medical opinions assessing these conditions. The RO must provide such assessments.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD, alcohol abuse, and sleep disturbances were reduced from a 70 percent rating to a 50 percent rating effective September 1, 2020. The Board found that the evidence did not show an improvement in his ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work or in the overall frequency and severity of his symptomatology.
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.