The Board remands the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include alcohol use disorder and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, as the November 2022 VA examination opinion is inadequate.
The deciding factor: The examiner's opinion that the Veteran's conditions are not related to service is conclusory and fails to address the Veteran's reports of in-service panic attacks and ongoing anxiety, which were exacerbated by his wife's miscarriage and led to alcohol use as a coping mechanism.
- Claimed conditions
- alcohol use disorder, adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2025
- Citation
- A25011961
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,036 · Granted: 27% (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 A25011961.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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 Board has restored the 10 percent disability rating for an adjustment disorder and the 20 percent disability rating for a back condition, effective June 1, 2025. The Veteran's claims of increased ratings are remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood is rated at 70 percent from October 31, 2023. Service connection for IBS and obstructive sleep apnea are granted as secondary to his service-connected disabilities.
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