The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of bipolar affective disorder, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen his previously denied claim.
The deciding factor: The July 1994 rating decision found that the bipolar affective disorder preexisted active service and was not aggravated by service. The Veteran's June 2006 application to reopen included similar records, which were deemed duplicative and did not warrant reconsideration of his April 1994 claim.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar affective disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19195804
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 19195804.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 70 percent for bipolar affective disorder and PTSD, finding that the evidence did not support an increase in the current rating.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for bipolar affective disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew her Notice of Disagreement before a final decision was issued.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for further development, including verification of service dates and a new medical opinion on direct service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, due to military sexual trauma (MST) for a comprehensive VA medical opinion.
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