The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder resulted in alcohol abuse, which caused his liver cancer and contributed to his death. As a result, the claim for cause of death is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran's service-connected acne vulgaris led to his depressive disorder, which in turn caused him to self-medicate with alcohol, leading to liver cancer and ultimately his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive disorder, Acne vulgaris
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2022
- Citation
- 22064403
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 22064403.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claims for additional VA examinations to properly evaluate the current severity of her disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for depressive disorder as secondary to hypertension and tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's depressive disorder was granted a 70 percent disability rating from April 27, 2020 to August 15, 2022, and a TDIU was also granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for PTSD and depressive disorder to schedule a VA examination as new and relevant evidence has been received.
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