The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back strain and an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as bipolar disorder), but finds that further development is needed before these claims can be decided on their merits.
The deciding factor: New evidence received since the last final denial does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims, as it relates to already established facts. Further examination and development are required for both conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Back Strain, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (Bipolar Disorder)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 2, 2017
- Citation
- 1714267
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 1714267.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a total disability evaluation based upon individual unemployability prior to April 1, 2021, was denied. However, his entitlement to special monthly compensation based on housebound status from April 1, 2021, was granted in part.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional examinations and medical opinions are needed to properly assess the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including PTSD, back strain, bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, left foot pain, and sleep apnea. The issues of increased ratings for these conditions have been remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection due to concurrent receipt of VA disability compensation and active service drill pay, finding that the evidence did not support his assertion that he did not receive drill pay during fiscal years 2014 and 2015.
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