The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bipolar disorder, a bilateral shoulder disability, a left elbow disability, carpal tunnel syndrome of the left wrist, and carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist. The decision also remanded several other issues.,Service connection was not granted for any of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish that the Veteran's current disabilities were related to active service or any incident of service.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder, bilateral shoulder disability, left elbow disability, carpal tunnel syndrome of the left wrist, carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist and hand
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 9, 2018
- Citation
- 18141142
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 18141142.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of December 12, 2023, for a 50 percent evaluation of bipolar disorder and remanded the other issues for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for various musculoskeletal conditions of the left and right hands, shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, ankles, and foot, but granted service connection for a right knee disability and fibromyalgia. The decision was based on medical evidence that did not support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions and a TDIU, as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these disabilities were related to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired mental health condition, to include major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, based on new evidence.
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