Bipolar disorder decisions — 2011

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, has been granted. His claims for increased disability rating for mechanical low back pain and TDIU have also been granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining the Veteran's service personnel records and attempting to obtain missing treatment records from the 1980s.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the appellant's claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits due to his various disabilities. The case will be returned to the RO/AMC for further action.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disorders and their relationship to service. The Veteran will need a VA examination to determine if his current psychiatric conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including posttraumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder, is being remanded due to the need for further development regarding alleged stressors.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits because he did not have active military service during a period of war, and thus did not meet the eligibility requirements.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of medical expenses for privately provided rehabilitation services is being remanded due to the need to obtain missing VA records and provide a medical opinion regarding the availability of treatment at private facilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, major depression, depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder, has been reopened. The evidence now supports a finding that the current psychiatric disorders are related to his active military service.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 50%, which does not meet the schedular requirements for consideration of a TDIU. There is no evidence supporting her contention that her service-connected disabilities preclude her from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining service treatment records and personnel records, SSA records, and VA medical records. The Veteran's bipolar disorder will also be evaluated in relation to her service-connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to new claims of service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder, as well as issues regarding physical assault allegations.

The Board has ordered a remand due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records from Temple VAMC and arranging for a psychiatric examination. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as schizoaffective disorder with bipolar features and depression, did not manifest during service or be related to any aspect of service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral foot disorder is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and an opinion regarding the relationship between any diagnosed foot disorders during the appeals period and active duty service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including bipolar disorder and PTSD, is being remanded due to the need for a comprehensive VA psychiatric examination. The focus will be on determining if any current psychiatric disability is causally related to military service, specifically the verified witnessing of a soldier's death while fast-rope exiting a helicopter.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, mood disorder, major depressive disorder and cognitive disorder is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining relevant medical records and conducting a VA psychiatric examination to determine the nature, onset date, and etiology of any current psychiatric disorder(s), specifically whether PTSD is present and related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including PTSD, is being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for further verification of his prior Army service.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, which includes PTSD, depression, attention deficit disorder, and bipolar disorder, has been adequately compensated by the assigned initial 10 percent rating.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder is related to an in-service assault, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.