The Veteran's application to reopen his claim for an earlier effective date for assignment of a compensable rating for bipolar disorder, including the assertion that there was clear and unmistakable error in an April 1963 rating decision and in an April 2008 Board decision, is dismissed.
The deciding factor: The April 2004 rating decision was subsumed by the April 2008 Board decision and became final with regard to the effective date of November 24, 2003 for the assignment of a 10 percent rating for bipolar disorder. The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date must be dismissed.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar affective disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- August 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19164620
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 19164620.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 70 percent for bipolar affective disorder and PTSD, finding that the evidence did not support an increase in the current rating.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for bipolar affective disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew her Notice of Disagreement before a final decision was issued.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for further development, including verification of service dates and a new medical opinion on direct service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, due to military sexual trauma (MST) for a comprehensive VA medical opinion.
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