Bipolar disorder decisions — 2022

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and bipolar disorder. The AOJ is instructed to obtain VA treatment records from 2016 to the present and reevaluate the new and material evidence claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for unspecified bipolar disorder and cannabis use disorder (also claimed as anxiety and depression) is granted. The issue of an initial increased rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee residuals of Osgood Schlatter's disease is remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there is no competent evidence of a currently diagnosed condition related to his military service or superimposed on his personality disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and bipolar disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination. The TDIU issue remains pending.

The Board has found that the Veteran's injuries during a fight in service were not due to willful misconduct, and thus he is eligible for VA compensation. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule the Veteran for appropriate VA examinations to determine if his current disabilities are related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate VA examinations and incomplete medical records. The Veteran is presumed sound on entrance, but a direct service connection may be granted if there is evidence of aggravation during service.

The Board has granted service connection for bipolar disorder, finding that the Veteran's military service is as likely as not the cause of his current condition. The claim was reopened due to new evidence submitted since the last denial.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran was diagnosed with multiple psychiatric disorders and provided lay statements regarding in-service stressors. However, the VA examinations were deemed inadequate due to their failure to address the Veteran's lay statements about his experiences during service and the nature of his current psychiatric conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, persistent depressive disorder, alcohol use disorder, and bipolar disorder per history, is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his private medical records.

The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant requested to withdraw their appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety disorder and bipolar disorder. The effective date will be determined upon assignment of a rating.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted from February 7, 2014, as he had a combined rating of 60% for his service-connected disabilities. The decision acknowledges that the Veteran is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected low back disability and associated radiculopathy.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and TDIU, finding that there was no evidence of a pre-service or in-service onset of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for Epilepsy and an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include as secondary to epilepsy) due to new evidence received since the final April 1980 denial. The Veteran's original claim for a seizure disorder was denied in April 1980, but new evidence raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claim.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and bipolar disorder, should be remanded for further review due to inadequate consideration of secondary service connection. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it may affect the schedular rating.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and TDIU is remanded due to the need for additional medical records and information regarding his employment history.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 70% disability rating for bipolar disorder is granted.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for dermatitis is remanded.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for mild unspecified neurocognitive disorder, PTSD, and bipolar I disorder. The claims are dismissed as a result.

The Board has denied service connection for tinnitus due to lack of evidence showing a link between the condition and active duty. The case is remanded for further examination regarding the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and bipolar disorder.