The Board denied the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include alcohol use disorder, separate from service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a current diagnosis of alcohol abuse disorder and there was no sufficient link between the Veteran's alcohol use and his service-connected PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- 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 11, 2023
- Citation
- 23001917
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.
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