The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of December 17, 1996 for a 100% rating for bipolar disorder with major depression. The RO found that there was no evidence within one year prior to December 1996 on which it could be factually ascertained that the veteran was entitled to such a rating.
The deciding factor: The effective date of an increased disability rating cannot precede the receipt of a claim for increase unless the increase is ascertainable and the claim is received within one year after the increase in disability occurred.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder with major depression
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- May 8, 2001
- Citation
- 0113070
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0113070.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that her preexisting condition worsened during active duty.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected bipolar disorder with major depression was granted an initial disability evaluation of 70 percent, effective from October 8, 2015 to December 12, 2019. From December 13, 2019 forward, the claim for a higher rating remains pending.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding service treatment records and VA treatment records, as well as workman's compensation records. The Veteran is asked to provide information about her psychiatric history and any related claims.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bipolar disorder with major depression, currently diagnosed as cyclothymic disorder, is at least as likely as not related to her military service and grants service connection for this condition.
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