Bipolar disorder decisions — 2017

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified, and bipolar disorder, type II are found to be related to his period of active duty service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a verified PTSD stressor related to his military service and that his current bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety are not shown by the medical evidence of record to be related to his military service. Therefore, service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD existed at the time of his discharge in September 1979, and thus an effective date of September 22, 1979 is granted for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have an acquired psychiatric disorder or seizures that are attributable to his service. The claims for these conditions were denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disabilities, including bipolar disorder and depression, are not related to his military service.,The VA examinations did not find a clear nexus between the current psychiatric conditions and service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a low back disability. The evidence does not support a finding that any current psychiatric disorders are related to service, while the low back disability is not shown to be related to service either.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bipolar disorder is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination. The examiner must address whether it is at least as likely as not that any psychiatric disability, including bipolar disorder, is related to active service or any incident of such service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's current psychiatric disability, including whether any such disability is related to his active service. This includes obtaining deck logs from the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy for December 3, 1981, and arranging for a VA mental health examination.

The Board has granted service connection for bipolar disorder and assigned a 50 percent rating, effective September 24, 2010. The Veteran's bipolar disorder is manifested by symptoms such as near-continuous depressed mood, hypervigilance, neglect of personal hygiene and appearance, and inability in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and mood disorder, were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The claim is denied.

The Veteran seeks service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and major depression. The Board finds that additional development is necessary to determine the nature and etiology of his current psychiatric disabilities.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for depression and anxiety, finding new and material evidence. The Board also found that her acquired psychiatric disorder is etiologically related to her active duty military service.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder has been rated at 50 percent since September 7, 2004, reflecting occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration of the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD. The Veteran was provided a VA examination in March 2016 which did not consider his reported nightmares related to service. Additionally, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder NOS during the appeal period but no opinion on its etiology has been provided.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder and depression are found to be related to his service-connected hypothyroidism, hydrocephalus with migraines, and ankle disability. His TDIU claim is granted as he has been unable to maintain substantially gainful employment since May 2008.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bipolar disorder is related to her military service and grants her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, bipolar disorder, panic attacks, and polysubstance abuse disorder, is found to be related to his military service. His right knee disability has been rated appropriately.

The Veteran withdrew her appeal regarding an initial disability evaluation in excess of 70 percent for the service-connected psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder resulted in total occupational and social impairment, warranting a 100% evaluation.

The Veteran's current psychiatric disability, including PTSD, is service connected due to a military sexual trauma incident during his active duty.