The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as alcoholism) and bilateral hip vascular disease, secondary to alcoholism are both denied. The Board found that the Veteran's alcoholism is a result of his own willful misconduct in service, thus precluding compensation. There is no evidence of any current psychiatric disability or chronic hip condition within one year post-service for presumptive service connection.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's alcoholism was determined to be due to his own willful misconduct during service and therefore not compensable under the law. The Board also found that there is insufficient evidence to establish a direct service connection for either an acquired psychiatric disorder or bilateral hip vascular disease, as both conditions are not shown to have been incurred in service.
- Claimed conditions
- alcoholism, acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as alcoholism), bilateral hip vascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 23, 2018
- Citation
- 1817613
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 1817613.
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 decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's alcoholism is secondary to his service-connected adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's motion to revise an August 2009 rating decision denying service connection for alcoholism (also claimed as depression) on the basis of clear and unmistakable error (CUE), finding no CUE in the original decision.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of various psychiatric conditions, including substance abuse condition, alcoholism, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and severe depression.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for anxiety and alcoholism, finding that the evidence did not support a link to active duty.
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