The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, depression, anger, and anxiety. The Board found that his psychiatric conditions are less likely related to service or a service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's psychiatric conditions to service or a service-connected condition, with particular emphasis on the lack of a diagnosis of PTSD and the Veteran's history of substance abuse.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified depressive disorder, stimulant use disorder, cannabis use disorder, alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 11, 2023
- Citation
- 23044823
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 23044823.
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 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 anxiety and depressive disorders were rated at a 70 percent disability rating effective May 6, 2015.,Effective May 6, 2015, the Veteran was granted an earlier effective date for DEA benefits.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current unspecified depressive disorder is related to his service-connected disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
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