The Board granted service connection for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and substance use disorder as secondary to GAD.
The deciding factor: The evidence established a nexus between the Veteran's current conditions and his active-duty service, with the substance use disorder being attributed to self-medication of GAD symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), Substance use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- February 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25011838
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 715 · Granted: 43% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
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 A25011838.
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 Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depressive disorder, GAD, and PTSD, as well as his claim regarding the reduction of his rating for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with IVDS are all remanded due to procedural errors. The Board must determine whether the Veteran's discharge from December 1981 to November 1983 is a bar to VA benefits and reconsider his service connection claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected MDD with GAD and PCOS caused her obesity, which in turn led to her obstructive sleep apnea.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a substance use disorder, finding that the Veteran's disorders are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, finding that these conditions are related to military service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.