The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bipolar II disorder and degenerative joint disease of the thoracic spine are being remanded to allow for additional development.,VA is seeking to obtain relevant treatment records from community therapists and a VA examination is needed to assess the severity of the Veteran’s service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The current evaluations do not reflect the full extent of disability due to the Veteran's bipolar II disorder and degenerative joint disease of the thoracic spine, necessitating further evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Bipolar II Disorder, Chronic Cluster Headaches, Degenerative Joint Disease of the Thoracic Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19185780
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 880 · Granted: 26% (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 19185780.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's increased rating of 100 percent for bipolar II disorder is granted, effective prior to September 30, 2024. SMC based on housebound criteria is also granted, effective prior to September 30, 2024.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, as evidenced by his part-time employment during the appeals period.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar II Disorder, finding that the Veteran's conditions were not related to his active military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his PTSD with bipolar II disorder is granted, and he is now rated at 70 percent. The criteria for a 100 percent rating are not met.
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