The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic depressive disorder with anxiety and alcohol abuse was granted on March 13, 2017. The Board found that an earlier effective date is not warranted as the Veteran did not submit a prior unadjudicated request or relevant service department records after a final rating decision.
The deciding factor: The claim for service connection was based on a direct link to service without any presumption, exposure basis, or reopening due to new evidence. The Veteran's previous claims were denied and became final.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic depressive disorder, anxiety, alcohol abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19195510
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 622 · Granted: 17% (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 19195510.
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 remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric condition, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted the claims for service connection for anxiety, depression, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), finding that new and relevant evidence supports these claims.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress and alcohol abuse, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability or a link to active service.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and anxiety, finding that there is no evidence of an in-service incurrence or onset of these conditions.
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