The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to September 3, 2015 for the grant of service connection for a cyclothymic disorder (claimed as bipolar disorder and memory loss, previously diagnosed as manic-depressive illness, manic type) was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not provide essential evidence due to his failure to appear for scheduled VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's failure to report for scheduled VA examinations deprived VA of essential evidence needed to evaluate the non-static disability and sustain the claim or result in an increased evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- cyclothymic disorder, bipolar disorder, memory loss, manic-depressive illness (manic type)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19156907
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 19156907.
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 appeal for service connection for fibromyalgia was granted with an effective date of August 14, 2023. The appeals for earlier effective dates and higher ratings were denied.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for memory loss and found that the issue of TDIU from September 6, 2022 is moot.
- 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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