The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bipolar disorder with anxiety and an increased rating for left ankle disability, as well as his attempt to reopen a previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for a personality disorder. The decision also addressed whether new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen this previous claim.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the veteran's claims were not supported by new and material evidence sufficient to reopen the previously denied claim of service connection for a personality disorder, and thus declined to find in favor of reopening this claim. The other claims were also denied as they did not meet the criteria for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder with anxiety, left ankle fracture with arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2004
- Citation
- 0409125
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,464 · Granted: 14% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0409125.
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 Veteran's bipolar disorder with anxiety is related to his service-connected disabilities, and the Board grants this claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development and consideration of newly received evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate notice and need for further development, including a VA examination.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the veteran does not have bipolar disorder and does not have marked limitation of motion of his left ankle. Therefore, service connection for bipolar disorder is denied, and an increased rating for residuals of a left ankle fracture with arthritis is also denied.
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