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 assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19165143
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 19165143.
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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for drug abuse secondary to the Veteran's service-connected unspecified mood disorder.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is dismissed as the Board granted service connection in January 2025, making the issue moot.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for drug abuse, including as secondary to unspecified mood disorder, for further development and readjudication.
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