The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress and alcohol use disorder, is rated at 100 percent disabling since April 28, 2010. The appeal for a TDIU was dismissed as moot due to the grant of a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's psychiatric condition produced total occupational and social impairment with symptoms such as suicidal ideation, anxiety, chronic sleep impairment, irritability, social isolation, disturbances of motivation and mood, panic attacks, hypervigilance, short-term memory loss, near-continuous depression affecting function, impaired impulse control, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene, difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances, inability to establish effective relationships, and suicidal ideation.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, alcohol use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- December 2, 2020
- Citation
- A20017861
Veterans Law Judge
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 A20017861.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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 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.
- 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 denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and alcohol use disorder, finding that there is no current diagnosis of PTSD and that the Veteran's only diagnosed condition is alcohol use disorder. The Board also found that service connection cannot be granted due to willful misconduct.
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