The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for depressive disorder not otherwise specified and alcohol dependence due to service-connected PTSD, finding that there was no evidence of aggravation or causation.
The deciding factor: The VHA expert opined that the Veteran’s alcohol use was not aggravated beyond its normal course by PTSD, concluding that PTSD had not caused either the depressive disorder or the alcohol dependence.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder NOS, alcohol dependence
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19114685
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,104 · Granted: 28% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19114685.
What this means for you
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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 a duty-to-assist error, and will need to obtain an opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability with alcohol dependence.
- Denied
The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, alcohol dependence, and anger issues. The denial is based on a lack of verified stressor in service linking these conditions to service, as well as a lack of medical nexus connecting them to service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for alcohol dependence and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, both secondary to service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for alcohol dependence, finding no current disability. The remaining issues are remanded for further development.
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