The Veteran's claims of service connection for psychiatric disability and tinnitus were reopened, and the claim for major depressive disorder with psychotic features and bipolar affective disorder was granted. The other issues remain pending.
The deciding factor: New evidence provided by a VA physician indicated that the Veteran developed PTSD as a result of stressors in service, raising a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depressive Disorder with Psychotic Features, Bipolar Affective Disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19185415
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 19185415.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran seeks service connection for his current psychiatric disabilities, including generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bipolar affective disorder. The Board finds that the facts of this case establish entitlement to VA examination and/or medical opinion regarding the claim due to a possible association between the Veteran's in-service experiences and his current conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of headaches was granted, with the earliest possible effective date being October 1, 2012.,An earlier effective date of May 30, 2013, was granted for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance criteria. The Veteran's need for regular assistance due to his disabilities became apparent at this time.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of the claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder and sleep apnea based on new and relevant evidence, but remanded both claims for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal regarding a higher disability rating for PTSD with major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder prior to August 27, 2020 is remanded due to the Board not obtaining all relevant Social Security Administration (SSA) records. The SSA records are potentially relevant as they may contain information about the Veteran's condition that could affect his disability evaluation.
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