Bipolar disorder decisions — 2019

The Board has granted service connection for bipolar disorder and the cause of death (suicide) due to mental unsoundness. The Veteran's bipolar disorder is considered to have resulted from his in-service mental illnesses, including PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, chronic dyspnea, and an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD, bipolar disorder, and depressive disorder) have been denied. The Veteran also had his claim for a higher rating for neurodermatitis denied.,Service connection was not granted for the claimed conditions due to lack of evidence supporting their onset during service or being related to in-service events. The Veteran's current diagnoses were found to be unrelated to service, with chronic dyspnea and psychiatric disorders attributed to deconditioning and other non-service-related factors.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a low back disability and neck disability was denied. The claim for service connection of bipolar disorder is granted.

The Veteran's service connection claims for a bilateral foot disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and bipolar disorder) are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of his acquired psychiatric disorder, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bipolar disorder, finding no link between her current diagnosis and an event, injury, or disease in service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, Bipolar Disorder, migraine/tension headaches, and knee disorders have been granted. The claim for a left knee disorder is remanded, while the right knee disorder claim remains pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder was denied. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for rheumatoid arthritis of the wrists, hands, left ankle, right ankle, left knee, and right knee were all denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The left patellar fracture was rated at 10%, bipolar disorder prior to March 20, 2019 was rated at 50%, PTSD beginning March 20, 2019 was rated at 70%, and bronchial asthma was not rated as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's service-connected bipolar disorder with PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for PTSD due to insufficient evidence of a verified in-service stressor. The case will be reviewed again with additional development, including obtaining relevant service treatment records and verifying the claimed event.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and bipolar disorder), and headaches. Service connection was denied for hypertension.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder was granted, but his claim for a chronic respiratory disorder was denied. The decision is mixed as one issue was granted and the other was denied.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, finding that the evidence did not support a link to active duty service.

The Board has decided to remand the veteran's claims for further development due to missing medical records and incomplete submissions. The appellant will be asked to provide VA permission to obtain additional relevant medical records from various doctors.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and requesting the Veteran to complete and submit a VA Form 21-8940. The issues of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for sleep apnea, entitlement to an effective date earlier than May 1, 2012, for service connection for sleep apnea, and entitlement to TDIU are inextricably intertwined.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The claims are granted in part, as they relate to his psychiatric disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for bipolar disorder and PTSD, finding that the Veteran's current psychiatric disabilities are related to his military service. The appeal of this issue is granted.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder has been rated at 70 percent since February 10, 2015. The Board denied a higher rating as the evidence did not show total social and occupational impairment.

The Board has found that there has not been substantial compliance with the October 2017 remand directives and is again remanding this case due to inadequate opinions regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder.