The Board found that the veteran's bipolar affective disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by military service and is not shown to be otherwise related to service. The condition began after service, likely due to substance abuse.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show a nexus between the veteran's bipolar affective disorder and his active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar affective disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2002
- Citation
- 0204630
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0204630.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 70 percent for bipolar affective disorder and PTSD, finding that the evidence did not support an increase in the current rating.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for bipolar affective disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew her Notice of Disagreement before a final decision was issued.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for further development, including verification of service dates and a new medical opinion on direct service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, due to military sexual trauma (MST) for a comprehensive VA medical opinion.
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