The Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, was denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the condition and his military service. The Veteran's deep vein thrombosis, left lower extremity, currently rated at 60 percent, did not meet criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran’s acquired psychiatric disorder is related to his military service, nor does it show any current disability due to deep vein thrombosis warranting a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (Bipolar Disorder)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- December 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19191567
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 940 · Granted: 21% (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 19191567.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically bipolar disorder, is rated at 70 percent from April 25, 2012 to August 10, 2014 and from October 1, 2014 to June 17, 2024. The rating of 70 percent reflects the severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, near-continuous panic, chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss, flattened affect, disturbances in motivation and mood, difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships, difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene. The Veteran does not have a service connection theory involving the PACT Act or Agent Orange exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a left knee disorder due to new and material evidence. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (bipolar disorder) is denied as there is no clear and convincing evidence linking it to service.
- Granted
The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, has been reopened and is granted. However, the Veteran's current psychiatric condition is not considered to be related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, is not service-connected due to a finding of willful misconduct.,The Veteran’s back disability and COPD are remanded for further development.
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