The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of bipolar disorder with depression, finding that no legal merit exists as his original claim was not timely appealed.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not file a timely Notice of Disagreement (NOD) to the September 1999 rating decision denying service connection for depression, and thus the September 1999 decision is final. The petition to reopen filed on January 24, 2005, which led to the February 2010 Board decision granting service connection, cannot be considered an effective date as it was not received within one year of the original denial.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder with depression
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 5, 2015
- Citation
- 1519143
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1519143.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder with depression, is found to be related to his military service and the claim for service connection is granted.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bipolar disorder with depression, finding that the Veteran's symptoms manifested to a compensable degree within one year of his discharge from active duty.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include bipolar disorder with depression, and a migraine disability due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions and a need for further examination. The appeal is not about service connection, but rather the cause of death.
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