The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for the veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, which is a combination of bipolar disorder and PTSD secondary to childhood physical/sexual abuse. The pre-existing PTSD was found to have been aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The VA psychologist determined that the veteran's pre-existing PTSD was aggravated in service due to his active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps, contributing 10% to his symptoms at that time.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), childhood physical/sexual abuse
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 2, 2004
- Citation
- 0421103
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 0421103.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
- Granted
The Veteran's bipolar disorder was rated at 50% and then reduced to 30%. The Board has now granted a 70% rating effective November 23, 2021, based on the improvement in her symptoms.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in loss of use of both feet, which qualifies her for an allowance for an automobile and adaptive equipment.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to March 2, 2015, for TDIU was denied as the evidence did not show actual worsening within one year prior to his March 2, 2015, claim.
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