The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to a homicide, finding that bipolar disorder did not contribute to his death. The preponderance of evidence does not support a link between the Veteran’s service-connected conditions and his death.
The deciding factor: There is no competent evidence showing that the Veteran’s bipolar disorder caused him to be killed or was the reason he was killed.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder, brain neoplasm, left shoulder mild tendinopathy, lumbar spine strain, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, right and left ankle strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19127877
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,421 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19127877.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings for his left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and left ankle condition have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of the appeal by the Veteran's representative.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's bipolar disorder was rated at 50% and then reduced to 30%. The Board has now granted a 70% rating effective November 23, 2021, based on the improvement in her symptoms.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in loss of use of both feet, which qualifies her for an allowance for an automobile and adaptive equipment.
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