Bipolar disorder Board decisions

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.

The Board has granted service connection for bipolar disorder with alcohol use disorder in remission, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's PTSD with unspecified bipolar and related disorder was denied increased ratings prior to September 28, 2020 and from that date onwards. His back disability (IVDS with degenerative changes) was also denied an increased rating. The effective date for the assignment of a 50% disability rating for PTSD with unspecified bipolar and related disorder was granted as August 14, 2017. Claims to reopen service connection for left knee disorder, right knee disorder, right hand disorder, and neck disorder were granted, while claims to reopen service connection for chest condition and jaw condition were denied.

The Veteran's neurobehavioral disorders, including ADHD, bipolar disorder, OCD, depression, anxiety, and insomnia, are not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking them to her exposure at Camp Lejeune. Her cardiac disability and skin disabilities remain denied.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder contributed to his death due to asthma exacerbation. The Board found that the appellant is credible and granted service connection for the cause of death.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim to reopen her service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder. The Board found that there is at least equipoise evidence in favor of a finding that these conditions are related to service.