Bipolar disorder decisions — 2008

The veteran's current psychiatric disability, specifically her post-traumatic stress disorder, is found to be the result of sexual assaults during her period of active military service. Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has reopened the claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The criteria for service connection have been met, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the veteran.

The Board found that the veteran's current bipolar disorder was not incurred during his active duty service and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims due to incomplete evidence and procedural defects, including a need for comprehensive psychiatric testing and service personnel records. The veteran is also advised that failure to report for any scheduled examination may result in the denial of his claims.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to clarify the veteran's service-connected conditions and their impact on his ability to work. The case is being remanded for further examination and review.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of her service-connected depression with anxiety, adjustment disorder with mixed emotional features, and history of bipolar disorder. The issue of individual unemployability (TDIU) will be deferred pending resolution of the rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for his nasal disability and service connection for bipolar disorder, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and his military service.

The Board found that the submitted evidence was not new and material, thus denying the veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for PTSD.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development due to incomplete information about the appellant's service and medical history.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his left foot, left hand, and sinusitis disabilities were granted. The effective date is not specified.

The VA has granted an initial increased disability rating of 50 percent for bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder, effective March 7, 2001.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA psychiatric examination to determine if any acquired psychiatric disorder had its onset in service and whether it is at least as likely as not that any currently diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorder had its onset in service.

The Board has dismissed the appellant's claims for service connection for depression and bipolar disorder as they have been rendered moot by a prior grant of these conditions. The right knee disorder claim is granted.

The VA determined that the veteran's bipolar disorder is not causally related to or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have any of the claimed conditions diagnosed in service or within one year after discharge, and there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The claim for asbestos-related lung disease also fails as there is no competent medical evidence of a current disability related to asbestos exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further examination and evaluation of the veteran's disabilities, as well as a determination on whether he is unemployable due to nonservice-connected conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's current diagnoses of depression and bipolar disorder are not related to his period of active service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder, was incurred in active military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including as secondary to his already service-connected degenerative disc disease of the 5th and 6th cervical vertebrae. The most persuasive medical evidence indicated that any current psychiatric disorders did not originate in service or are otherwise attributable to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bipolar disorder was incurred during service and is related to her service, thus granting her claim for service connection.