Bipolar disorder decisions — 2014

The Veteran seeks service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder. She also claims secondary service connection for alcohol and polysubstance abuse and self-mutilations to include as secondary to her psychiatric disorders. The Veteran's headaches are associated with a service-connected residual scalp laceration.,The Veteran seeks service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder including PTSD, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder. She also claims secondary service connection for alcohol and polysubstance abuse and self-mutilations to include as secondary to her psychiatric disorders. The Veteran's headaches are associated with a service-connected residual scalp laceration.,The Veteran seeks service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder including PTSD, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder. She also claims secondary service connection for alcohol and polysubstance abuse and self-mutilations to include as secondary to her psychiatric disorders. The Veteran's headaches are associated with a service-connected residual scalp laceration.,The Veteran seeks service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder including PTSD, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder. She also claims secondary service connection for alcohol and polysubstance abuse and self-mutilations to include as secondary to her psychiatric disorders. The Veteran's headaches are associated with a service-connected residual scalp laceration.

The Veteran is service-connected for multiple disabilities, including bipolar disorder and head injury residuals. The Board finds that the Veteran's unemployability is due to his service-connected psychiatric disability (bipolar disorder), and grants a TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no service connection decision could be made.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of any psychiatric disorders, including factitious disorder. The Veteran's claim for service connection is now pending and will be reviewed again after additional development.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to issues not yet addressed, including service connection for psychiatric disability and dental problems.

The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and/or bipolar disorder, finding no evidence of onset during service or within one year thereafter. The Veteran's symptoms were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and verifying in-service stressors. The Veteran will also undergo a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his psychiatric disorders.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD based on a personal assault in-service. The Veteran's bipolar disorder, pain disorder, nicotine dependence, alcohol abuse, and polysubstance abuse are found to be related to her PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, categorized as anxiety and bipolar/cognitive disorder, has been productive of total occupational and social impairment since the initial award of service connection in June 1998. A 100 percent disability rating is granted from June 30, 1998 to May 2, 2013.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD with bipolar disorder and ED secondary to PTSD, finding that there is reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran. The claim for reopening the PTSD claim was also granted.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues related to service connection, including bipolar disorder, hypertension, skin cancer, and residuals of fractured pelvis and left femoral head dislocation.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder, finding that the Veteran's current symptoms are related to his military service.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder was rated at 70 percent effective from May 29, 1992 to May 19, 1999.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's variously diagnosed psychiatric disability, including schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder, is not related to his service. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the existence and etiology of any current sleep disorder.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD, are not service-connected. His skin cancers have been found unrelated to his military service or presumed herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder type 2, with dysthymic disorder and insomnia has been rated at 50 percent since August 2000. The Board found that the symptoms of depressed mood, anxiety, sleep impairment, flattened affect, suspiciousness, mild memory loss, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships are adequately described by the current rating.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability was found to be manifested by symptoms comparable to occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a rating of 70 percent prior to June 29, 2012. On and after that date, the disability continued to meet these criteria.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a valid diagnosis of PTSD or anxiety disorder NOS, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.