The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his affective disorder (acquired psychiatric disorder) was denied. The claim for TDIU based on service-connected disabilities is granted, but the decision does not specify an effective date.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the Veteran’s symptoms warranted a higher than 70 percent rating for his affective disorder and there were no other factors indicating total social or occupational impairment. The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted based on his service-connected disabilities, but the specific effective date is not provided.
- Claimed conditions
- Affective Disorder (Bipolar Mixed), Cervical Spine Degenerative Disc Disease, Left Upper Extremity Radiculopathy, Right Upper Extremity Radiculopathy, Lumbar Spine Degenerative Joint Disease, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- September 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19167678
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 19167678.
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 service connection for depressive disorder as secondary to hypertension and tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but remanded the claim for degenerative disc disease with degenerative arthritis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
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