The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as bipolar disorder, was determined to have its onset during his military service and is therefore granted service connection.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms of bipolar disorder began in service due to in-service stressors related to deployment and a friend's death from a brutal assault.
- 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
- August 25, 2017
- Citation
- 1735465
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 1735465.
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.
- 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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