The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety and depression, as well as alcohol abuse. The Veteran's current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for service connection.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence to support a diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric disability other than alcohol use disorder, which cannot be service-connected due to VA policy prohibiting compensation for disabilities resulting from the veteran’s own alcohol or drug abuse.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disability (anxiety and depression), Alcohol use disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20006383
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 9, 2022, for the grant of service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder with generalized anxiety disorder, other specified depressive disorder, and alcohol use disorder.
- Granted
The Board granted a 70 percent evaluation for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and other specified trauma and stressor disorder and alcohol use disorder, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and alcohol use disorder, as the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors were not credible.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, tinnitus, varicose veins, right knee disability, and bilateral foot pain causing impairment in earning capacity on a direct basis.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.