Bipolar disorder decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's psychiatric and right hip disability claims, including obtaining new medical opinions regarding the etiology of his diagnoses and whether his current conditions are aggravated by his service-connected left hip disability. The case will be remanded to allow for these actions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a new examination to determine the nature and likely etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disabilities. The examiner must provide opinions on whether each diagnosed condition is related to service or experiences therein.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have PTSD and finds no link between his current acquired psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and service. The evidence shows a chronic disability began several years after separation from active duty.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, but without total occupational and social impairment. The VA assigned a 70 percent rating for the period from April 26, 2002 to November 23, 2007.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain missing service treatment records, SSA records, and VA treatment records. A mental health examination will be conducted to determine if his current psychiatric diagnoses are related to the July 1976 incident in Korea. Another examination will also be conducted to assess whether his current infectious disease and right shoulder disability are related to service.

The Veteran's daughter, R.E.H., is permanently incapable of self-support due to her severe and permanent psychiatric disabilities that have been ongoing since she was 12 years old. The evidence shows she has required extensive mental health treatment throughout her life.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder has been rated at 30 percent since October 18, 2010. The disability results in occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder is found to have had its onset during service and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board finds that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, PTSD, and depression, are not etiologically related to service. As a result, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, bipolar disorder, and mood disorder due to the lack of verified in-service stressors.

The Veteran's PTSD was found to cause significant impairment in social and occupational functioning, but not to the extent that would warrant a 100% rating. The Veteran's bipolar disorder also contributed to her overall disability picture.

The Board found that the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders, including ADHD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and alcoholism, were not incurred in or related to his active duty service. The claim for PTSD was also denied.

The Board has found that the VA examination in August 2015 is inadequate and remanded for an addendum opinion. The Veteran's psychiatric disorders include alcohol use disorder, cognitive disorder NOS, and bipolar disorder unspecified. The issue on appeal is whether service connection should be granted for these conditions.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder to his military service and denied both claims for service connection. The cause of death was attributed to multiple conditions unrelated to service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as Bipolar and claimed as Depressive Disorder, was not present during service or for many years thereafter. The evidence did not support a finding of service connection due to lack of medical nexus between his military service and his current condition.

The Board finds that the character of the Appellant's discharge from service is not a bar to benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Appellant.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder type 2, with dysthymic disorder and insomnia, has resulted in occupational and social deficiencies resulting in a rating of 70 percent prior to October 3, 2016.

The Veteran's claim is being remanded for further development, including an examination to determine the etiology of any currently diagnosed psychiatric disorders and attempts to verify his in-service stressors. The Veteran should also be provided with appropriate notice regarding claims for service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder resulted in complete social and industrial inadaptability when he filed his initial claim for service connection, leading to a 100 percent rating effective from January 17, 1987.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of her service-connected psychiatric disorder, and for any outstanding medical records to be obtained.