Bipolar disorder Board decisions

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and denied his claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for additional left shoulder disability as a result of VA treatment.

The Board has determined that additional VA treatment records are needed and will be obtained. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU per 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a). However, his claim of entitlement to a TDIU is submitted to the Director, Compensation and Pension Service for extraschedular consideration under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b) due to marked interference with employment.

The Veteran's PTSD and bipolar affective disorder are causally related to his active duty service, leading the Board to grant service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, depression, schizoaffective disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is being remanded due to the need to verify a specific incident during his service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to procedural issues and the need to provide notification regarding alternative means of proving a personal assault stressor.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service treatment records and VA medical records from the Veteran's separation until 1994. The claim will be returned to the Board after these records are obtained.

The Board has remanded the case to obtain additional service and mental health records, as well as to give the Veteran another opportunity to provide information about his psychiatric treatment during service. The claim will be reconsidered based on all available evidence.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary for the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and residuals of surgery to correct Poland's syndrome. This includes obtaining Social Security Administration records, VA treatment records, and a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bipolar disorder is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination and the need for further development.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and PTSD, is attributable to his service-connected spontaneous pneumothorax. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether this condition is secondary to a service-connected disability.

The Board has found that the Veteran's psychiatric disability, currently diagnosed as PTSD and bipolar disorder, was incurred in active service. Therefore, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current psychiatric disability, diagnosed as schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, is due to symptoms manifesting within one year of discharge from active service and meets the criteria for a 10% rating.

The Board has determined that the appellant's conscientious objector discharge may create a statutory bar to VA benefits, and thus remands for further development including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including a VA psychiatric examination to determine if the Veteran's service-connected acne vulgaris with scarring caused or aggravated his diagnosed bipolar disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine and radiculopathy, right lower extremity. The Veteran's claim for bipolar disorder was denied as it is not related to his military service.

The Veteran's claimed psychiatric disabilities, including bipolar disorder and PTSD, were not incurred or aggravated during his active service. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD with bipolar disorder was granted effective July 29, 2004. The Board found that the earliest possible effective date is July 29, 1998, when the Veteran filed his initial claim.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and requesting a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's psychiatric disorders are related to service.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran's diagnoses included toxic psychosis, schizophrenia in different forms, personality disorders, bipolar disorder, and psychotic disorder NOS, none of which were found to be related to service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and remanded her claims for psychiatric disabilities, including PTSD, depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and mood disorder. Additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.