The Veteran's service connection claim for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is denied as his major depressive disorder and alcohol/cannabis use disorders are found to be secondary to substance abuse. The Board also determined that he does not meet the criteria for PTSD.
The deciding factor: Service connection cannot be granted due to the Veteran’s own willful misconduct (alcohol/drug abuse).
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depressive Disorder, Alcohol Use Disorder, Cannabis Use Disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19100319
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 was granted a disability rating of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder, effective October 24, 2017. The Board also granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability due to the need for a more comprehensive medical examination and opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder prior to September 10, 2022, and in excess of 70 percent thereafter.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with alcohol and cocaine use disorder was granted an increased initial rating of 100 percent, the schedular maximum. The claim for an earlier effective date prior to August 24, 2023 for the now-assigned 100 percent rating for PTSD was denied.
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