The Veteran's claim for service connection for bipolar disorder was denied in February 1996 and July 2004. The Board found that the evidence raised reasonable doubt as to whether his current acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, was incurred during service. The effective date for the grant of service connection for bipolar disorder is September 11, 2009.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim was reopened due to new and material evidence submitted in September 2009, but he did not file an appeal within one year of the July 2004 denial. The Board found that equitable tolling could not be applied as his mental condition did not prevent him from filing a timely appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19181424
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired mental health condition, to include major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, based on new evidence.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bipolar disorder and denied increased ratings for the lumbar disability, left and right sciatica, and chronic sinusitis. However, it granted an increased rating of 40 percent from March 7, 2022, for left and right sciatic radiculopathy and restored a 30 percent rating for chronic sinusitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed alternatively as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder, due to an inadequate VA examiner's opinion and a failure to fulfill the duty to assist in obtaining relevant medical records.
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