The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (bipolar or other mood disorders) and a low back disorder. The Veteran's mood disorder is found to have its onset in service, while his low back disorder is presumed to have been incurred during service.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran's mood disorder had its onset in service and is related to his military service, as evidenced by his statements of experiencing symptoms since service. For the low back disorder, although there are no records indicating a diagnosis or treatment for this condition until after service, the Board finds it plausible that the Veteran incurred a chronic low back disability during service based on his credible testimony about an in-service injury and subsequent chronic symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- mood disorder, low back disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 7, 2012
- Citation
- 1230676
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 1230676.
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.
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- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that side effects from prescribed medications contributed substantially and materially to his accidental motorcycle collision resulting in fatal injuries.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for dermatitis/eczema, sleep apnea, a psychiatric disorder (including MDD and PTSD), hypertension, COPD, low back disorder, and prostate cancer are all granted. The Board found that the evidence supported these determinations based on direct service connection.
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