The Veteran's service-connected GAD with alcohol use disorder does not render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has met the economic component of TDIU as he is currently unemployed, but his psychiatric symptoms do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation due to his past work experience and current cognitive abilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) with alcohol use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2026
- Citation
- A26001832
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A26001832.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board restored the 30 percent disability rating for GAD with alcohol use disorder prior to May 8, 2024, and denied a higher rating in excess of 30 percent or 50 percent thereafter.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) with alcohol use disorder and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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