The Veteran's bipolar disorder is rated at a 70% effective from July 1, 2014. The Board granted an earlier effective date of March 23, 2016 for the award of a 70% rating for bipolar disorder. For bilateral shoulder conditions, the Veteran was denied earlier effective dates as no claim prior to December 15, 2016 was reasonably raised.
The deciding factor: The Veteran submitted a formal claim for service connection on December 16, 2015 and his symptoms warranted a 70% rating from July 1, 2014. The Board granted an earlier effective date of March 23, 2016 for the award of a 70% rating for bipolar disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder, left shoulder strain, right shoulder strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- December 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19190503
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 19190503.
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection for left shoulder strain, labral tear, acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, and tendinitis was granted, while the effective date prior to November 11, 2023, for migraine headaches was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral plantar fasciitis, chronic pain syndrome, sciatic radicular pain of both legs, traumatic brain injury (TBI), shin splints of both legs, thoracic spondylosis, right shoulder strain, right wrist strain, acne, and allergic rhinitis.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for chronic sinusitis, left shoulder strain, lumbosacral strain, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity to ensure compliance with its previous remand directives.
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