The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (bipolar disorder) has been reopened and granted.,Service connection is also granted for sleep apnea, which the Board found was aggravated by her service-connected bipolar disability and asthma. Tinnitus was also found to be related to active service.,The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) due to migraine headaches has been granted.
The deciding factor: New evidence provided in the form of private medical opinions supports the Veteran’s contention that her bipolar disorder began during service and is related to her current condition.,The Board found that the Veteran's sleep apnea was aggravated by her service-connected bipolar disability and asthma, meeting the secondary service connection criteria.,The Veteran has reported experiencing tinnitus since active service, which she contends is due to acoustic trauma. The Board found this credible evidence sufficient to establish a nexus between current tinnitus and service.
- Claimed conditions
- acquired psychiatric disability to include bipolar disorder, sleep apnea, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- September 11, 2018
- Citation
- 18133516
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 18133516.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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