The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bipolar disorder in June 2001 and affirmed by the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court) in December 2003. The Veteran did not submit any new evidence or records to reopen his claim until August 25, 2005, when he applied to reopen his case based on statements from himself and his sister, as well as a statement from a private psychologist. As such, the effective date for the grant of service connection for bipolar disorder is fixed at August 25, 2005.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not submit any new evidence or records to reopen his claim prior to August 25, 2005, and no correspondence dated before this date can be interpreted as a claim for service connection. The effective date is fixed at the date of receipt of the application to reopen the case.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 31, 2011
- Citation
- 1120982
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 1120982.
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.
- 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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