Bipolar disorder decisions — 2008

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, with a current combined rating of 70 percent disabling, results in an inability to obtain or retain substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and work experience.

The case is REMANDED to the RO for further development and readjudication.

The Board found that the veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, was not related to service. The claim for PTSD is being remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset during service.

The veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder with depression and anxiety is being remanded due to the failure to schedule a VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining additional information about the veteran's claimed stressors and providing a VA examination to assess whether his current mental health conditions are related to service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for chronic headaches and bipolar disorder, finding that new evidence supports these claims. The veteran's PTSD claim was denied due to lack of combat duty and unconfirmed in-service stressor. Service connection for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, and skin disorders were not granted as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service or Agent Orange exposure.

The veteran's service-connected bipolar disorder, with anxiety neurosis and depression, is manifested by total occupational impairment, suicidal ideations and repeated suicide attempts requiring hospitalization, as well as consistently low Global Assessment Functioning (GAF) scores, reflective of an inability to function in almost all areas. A 50 percent rating has been granted from May 7, 2004.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's bipolar disorder to his military service and denied his claim.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and the need for further examination, specifically regarding the veteran's PTSD and bipolar disorder. The TDIU claim will be adjudicated after full development of the bipolar disorder claim.

The Board has determined that the effective date for the grant of a 100 percent disability rating for bipolar disorder should be June 30, 1999.

The Board denied the veteran's service connection claims for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, and a psychosis claimed as schizophrenic effects.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and bipolar disorder, finding that a current diagnosis of bipolar disorder was not established until after service and there was no evidence linking it to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to September 30, 2004, for a grant of service connection for bipolar disorder.

The Board found that the veteran's current psychiatric disorders, including schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder, were not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The claim was denied as there is no evidence of a psychosis within one year post-service nor any continuity of symptomatology.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and bipolar disorder. The case is remanded to determine if the claimed stressors are verified and to obtain an opinion on whether any current psychiatric disorders relate to service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bipolar disorder and PTSD, finding that there is no current diagnosis of these conditions and insufficient evidence to establish their onset during active service.

The Board denied service connection for bipolar disorder. The veteran's claim for chronic fatigue syndrome and Grave's disease was reopened, but the claims were ultimately denied on the merits.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bipolar disorder with psychotic features is attributable to service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Board found that her current psychiatric disorders are not related to service or a superimposed disability during service.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for bipolar disorder is being remanded due to the inextricably intertwined nature of his TDIU claim. The Board will consider both issues prior to final adjudication.