The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including substance-induced depressive disorder, finding that the Veteran's current condition is due to his own willful misconduct.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's continued use of drugs and alcohol throughout military service resulted in a diagnosis of substance-induced depressive disorder which was deemed to be caused by his own willful misconduct.
- Claimed conditions
- substance-induced depressive disorder, alcohol/polysubstance use
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 17, 2018
- Citation
- 18135316
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 18135316.
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 remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for depression, to include as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The case is being sent back for further development and an addendum medical opinion.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's diagnosed psychiatric disabilities, including depression and PTSD, are not related to his military service. The erectile dysfunction is also not linked to service or any service-connected disability.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, and substance-induced depressive disorder, are not related to his service. As a result, the claim for service connection is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her conditions.
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