The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection of bipolar disorder. The claim to reopen for an earlier effective date for schizophrenia was granted, but the request for an earlier effective date for schizophrenia is denied. An effective date of May 4, 2009, for claw feet with osteoporosis is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim for an earlier effective date for schizophrenia, but did not find CUE in the April 1998 decision denying such a request. The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability was recharacterized as including bipolar disorder, which led to the dismissal of the appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, claw feet with osteoporosis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- May 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19139963
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 32% (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 19139963.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's schizophrenia is rated at 70 percent, indicating significant impairment in work and social functioning.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for an effective date prior to August 18, 2016, for a 100 percent disability rating for schizophrenia and for spousal SMC for aid and attendance. The Veteran's claim was erroneously adjudicated by the AOJ and constitutes a free-standing earlier effective date claim.
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