The Veteran's claim for service connection for drug abuse is denied because the law prohibits compensation for such a disability, and he does not have any other service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: Drug abuse is not a condition that can be granted service connection under VA laws and regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- drug abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19165143
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19165143.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for alcohol abuse and drug abuse, as well as a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD, were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating or secondary service connection.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for alcohol and drug abuse, to include as secondary to mental health due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claim as there was a full grant of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder in January 2026, and no case or controversy remains.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervicalgia, jaw disability, stomach disability, and drug abuse as the evidence did not support a finding of an in-service incurrence or aggravation of these conditions.
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