The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bipolar disorder and right ankle disability, as well as her claim for a higher evaluation for mechanical low back pain. The veteran's back pain was evaluated at 10 percent under old criteria but not more favorable under new criteria. Her mental health conditions were not shown to be related to military service.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support the veteran's claims of in-service injury or disease leading to her current disabilities, and there was no indication that any disability originated within a presumptive period following discharge from service.
- Claimed conditions
- mechanical low back pain, bipolar disorder, lateral instability of right ankle
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 14, 2006
- Citation
- 0620408
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,013 · Granted: 17% (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 0620408.
What this means for you
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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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