The Board found that the Veteran's psychiatric disability is related to alcohol use and not service, thus denying service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's clinical presentation was consistent with a substance induced psychotic disorder due to long-term alcohol use, and there was no evidence linking his current psychiatric disorders to military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2018
- Citation
- 1816501
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 1816501.
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 Board has granted service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depressive disorder. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service fear of hostile military or terrorist activity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to deficiencies in the record, including inadequate VA opinions and conflicting medical evidence regarding the Veteran's psychiatric diagnoses. The Veteran is requested to undergo a VA examination to clarify the nature and etiology of his psychiatric disorders.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD and migraine headaches as the evidence did not support a separate diagnosis or additional symptomatology. The left knee strain issue was remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and an acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD, as the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's active military service.
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