The Veteran's anxiety and depressive disorders with alcohol abuse are rated at 50 percent, the minimum for a disability. The evidence does not support an increase to a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The symptoms of the Veteran’s anxiety disorder do not meet or approximate those required for a higher rating under any diagnostic code.
- Claimed conditions
- Anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified, Depressive disorder, not otherwise specified, Alcohol abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- September 12, 2018
- Citation
- 18134547
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 18134547.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder with alcohol abuse is at least as likely as not related to service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's motion for revision of the June 25, 2015 rating decision was denied as there was no clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of April 20, 2015 for service connection of major depressive disorder with anxiety disorder. The earliest effective date is the date his claim to reopen was received.
- Dismissed
Your appeal for a higher rating for PTSD has been dismissed because the maximum possible rating (100%) was already granted in a previous decision.
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