Bipolar disorder decisions — 2021

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inaccuracies in the medical opinions and because there may be additional VA records from 1990-1996 that need to be obtained. The Veteran will need a new VA examination to determine if his acquired psychiatric disorders are related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including her bipolar disorder and left ankle condition, prevented her from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment from September 22, 2015 to January 16, 2019. Since then, the combined disability rating for her remaining conditions does not render her unemployable.

The Veteran's request for restoration of a 20 percent rating for low back degenerative disc disease is granted. The claims for an increased rating for bipolar disorder and TDIU are remanded due to outstanding records.

The claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability, including schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional development.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, finding that the Veteran's condition pre-existed his military service and was not aggravated by it.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and an addendum opinion from a VA examiner to address whether any acquired psychiatric disorders are related to service, including as a continuation of in-service adjustment disorder.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including borderline personality disorder, adjustment disorder to include suicidal ideation, and bipolar disorder. The claim for tinea versicolor is also being remanded due to a lack of a statement of the case (SOC).

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent her from obtaining or maintaining a substantially gainful occupation prior to September 23, 2019.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD based on military sexual trauma (MST), depression, bipolar disorder, acute stress disorder, affective mood disorder, and schizoaffective disorder is granted. The case is remanded for further examination of her lumbosacral spine disability.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, and depression. The claim is granted as the evidence shows a link between the Veteran's in-service stressor of military sexual trauma (MST) and her current psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder with bipolar disorder is rated at 70 percent from October 12, 2011 to October 15, 2019.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient notice of the December 2014 SOC and potential issues with representation. The Veteran's psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder II, unspecified personality disorder, adjustment disorder, major depressive disorder, depression and anxiety, major neurocognitive disorder, unspecified mood disorder, and dysthymic disorder, are all being reviewed for their relation to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition and sleep apnea due to incomplete compliance with prior remand directives. The Veteran's current psychiatric conditions, including PTSD, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, dysthymic disorder, and depressive disorder, are being evaluated in light of his lay statements regarding service experiences. If service connection is granted for an acquired psychiatric condition, the claim for sleep apnea will also be remanded to determine if it is caused or aggravated by the psychiatric condition.

The Board has dismissed the issue of whether the character of the Veteran’s discharge from service is a bar to VA disability compensation benefits as it no longer constitutes a bar due to an upgrade in his discharge status.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and further development is needed. The Veteran's psychiatric disability, including bipolar disorder, depression, and vascular dementia, will be reviewed again for service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder and earlier effective date for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The issues are related as they may impact each other, so the TDIU claim is deferred until after the psychiatric disorder claim is addressed.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include as secondary to service-connected traumatic brain injury (TBI), and for a higher rating for cervical spine strain due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Veteran's unspecified bipolar and related disorder, gout, and sleep apnea are all granted. The rating for the unspecified bipolar and related disorder is set at 100 percent effective from the date of the hearing before the Board in December 2020.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bipolar disorder is related to service, granting service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including a mood disorder and adjustment disorder with anxiety, was not incurred in or caused by his time in service. The Board found that the evidence did not support a connection between the Veteran's current mental health conditions and his military service.