The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as bipolar disorder, is not service connected due to lack of in-service onset and no evidence of continuity of symptomatology.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that symptoms displayed during service were early signs of an immature personality disorder rather than a subsequent diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (Bipolar Disorder)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 24, 2014
- Citation
- 1428602
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 1428602.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically bipolar disorder, is rated at 70 percent from April 25, 2012 to August 10, 2014 and from October 1, 2014 to June 17, 2024. The rating of 70 percent reflects the severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, near-continuous panic, chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss, flattened affect, disturbances in motivation and mood, difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships, difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene. The Veteran does not have a service connection theory involving the PACT Act or Agent Orange exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a left knee disorder due to new and material evidence. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (bipolar disorder) is denied as there is no clear and convincing evidence linking it to service.
- Granted
The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, has been reopened and is granted. However, the Veteran's current psychiatric condition is not considered to be related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, is not service-connected due to a finding of willful misconduct.,The Veteran’s back disability and COPD are remanded for further development.
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