The Veteran is seeking a total disability rating based on individual unemployability for the period prior to July 12, 2016 due to service-connected bipolar disorder with unspecified anxiety disorder. However, as his combined rating does not meet the minimum percentage criteria under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a), the case is being referred to the VA Under Secretary for Benefits or the VA Director of Compensation and Pension Service for consideration under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).
The deciding factor: The Veteran's combined rating does not meet the minimum percentage criteria (50%) required by 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a) to be eligible for TDIU.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder with unspecified anxiety disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- May 24, 2018
- Citation
- 18105303
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 18105303.
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 service-connected bipolar disorder with unspecified anxiety disorder precludes him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment, warranting a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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