The veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for service connection of alcohol dependence disorder was dismissed because the veteran withdrew the appeal.
The deciding factor: The veteran submitted a written communication withdrawing his appeal before a decision was made.
- Claimed conditions
- alcohol dependence disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2025
- Citation
- A25004318
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,614 · Granted: 35% (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 A25004318.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's alcohol dependence disorder as secondary to his service-connected depressive disorder, finding that both conditions are linked and that the depression exacerbates the alcohol use.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders and a need for additional private treatment records.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for alcohol dependence disorder secondary to service-connected depressive disorder, finding that the Veteran's lay evidence regarding the relationship between his depression and drinking was not credible. The medical opinions provided did not support a finding of secondary service connection.
- Denied
The Board has vacated the July 2021 decision denying service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and sleep apnea. The Veteran's claims were denied as there was no credible supporting evidence of a stressor event, and his diagnoses are not linked to in-service events.
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