The Veteran's claims for service connection for alcohol use disorder, chronic sinusitis, and chronic headaches have been denied. The Board has remanded the claim for gastrointestinal disorders (including chronic gastritis and diverticulosis).,Service connection is not granted for alcohol use disorder as it cannot be established on a direct basis due to preclusion by law. Service connection is also not granted for chronic sinusitis or chronic headaches, as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied because the evidence did not establish that he had current diagnoses of alcohol use disorder, chronic sinusitis, or chronic headaches. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of any of these conditions.,Service connection was also not granted for gastrointestinal disorders as there is no medical opinion linking the current diagnosed conditions to service.
- Claimed conditions
- alcohol use disorder, chronic sinusitis, chronic headaches, gastrointestinal disorders (including chronic gastritis and diverticulosis)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 9, 2020
- Citation
- A20016672
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 A20016672.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for chronic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, and chronic fatigue syndrome as there is no evidence of a current disability in the record.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, along with alcohol use disorder, has been granted a 100% evaluation effective from April 8, 2021. The disability causes total occupational and social impairment.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia and alcohol use disorder caused his sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Veteran's effective date for service connection of left leg amputation and associated scars, as well as SMC based on loss of use of the left leg, is set to January 28, 2022. The effective date for DEA eligibility is also set to January 28, 2022. An effective date prior to January 28, 2022, was denied for service connection of chronic headaches.
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