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Denied

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bipolar disorder with social anxiety from December 29, 2011 to March 16, 2015 was denied as the symptoms did not meet the criteria for a 70% disability rating.

The deciding factor: The Veteran’s symptoms prior to March 17, 2015 did not include suicidal ideation or other severe symptoms that would warrant a higher rating of 70%. The VA treatment records consistently showed normal speech and no indications of hallucinations or obsessional rituals.

Claimed conditions
bipolar disorder with social anxiety
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
50%
Decision date
March 5, 2019
Citation
A19000162

Veterans Law Judge

YVETTE R. WHITE

Decisions by this judge: 1,820 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)

Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.

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 A19000162.

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

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