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 Board found no earlier effective date is warranted as the Veteran did not submit an earlier unadjudicated request or relevant service department records after a final rating decision.
- 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
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 remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded for further development and consideration of the Veteran's claims for service connection for various acquired psychiatric disorders.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including back pain, knee and wrist joint pains, neck pain, anxiety, depression, as further development is needed to properly adjudicate these claims.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depression and anxiety, based on the evidence showing that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's condition began in service.
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