Bipolar disorder Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding the Veteran's service connection claims.

The Board has determined that the remand is necessary due to incomplete development and the need for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's psychiatric conditions, including bipolar disorder and PTSD, as well as his erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's claim for an initial 100 percent rating for bipolar disorder is granted, effective October 6, 1970. The issue of entitlement to a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) prior to October 27, 2011, is dismissed as moot.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of sufficient evidence to decide the claim, including an indication that the current disability may be associated with the Veteran's service. The Veteran should have been provided a VA mental health examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence of in-service incurrence or a link between current symptoms and service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bipolar disorder and a neurological disorder of the left upper extremity. The claim for bipolar disorder was not reopened, while the claim for the neurological disorder of the left upper extremity is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examination and failure to provide an adequate VA examination is a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's service-connected bipolar disorder must be evaluated in conjunction with any non-service-connected mental health disorders.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for PTSD and bipolar disorder due to insufficient evidence of current diagnoses or recent in-service stressors.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for residuals of head contusion, now claimed as traumatic brain injury. The new evidence supports a finding that these residuals are related to his in-service head injury.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bipolar disorder is denied as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation. The Board found that he does not have total occupational and social impairment, which would warrant a 100% disability rating.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for PTSD and a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD due to inadequate VA opinions and issues with communication.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, is aggravated by her service-connected foot conditions and has been granted as service connected. The matter of entitlement to total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal of his claim for a higher rating for bipolar disorder has been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of the issue.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability are being remanded due to the VA Regional Office failing to obtain his Social Security Administration records prior to issuing its December 8, 2020 decision.

The Board denied the appellant's request for additional attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in a June 2020 rating decision, as he has already received the full amount of 20 percent of those benefits.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to conduct a search for service treatment records using both social security numbers listed in the Veteran's file. The claim will be returned for further development.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, cervical strain, thoracic and lumbar strain with IVDS, sciatic radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, right carpal tunnel syndrome, and bipolar disorder with anxiety disorder have all been denied. The appeal is remanded for further development regarding service connection for tendonitis, bilateral pes planus, and total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, leading to a grant of TDIU.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder is granted a 50 percent rating effective December 10, 2020. His hearing loss remains at noncompensable (0%) and his TDIU claim is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of a VA examination related to the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia. The examiner is requested to determine if these conditions are related to his active service.