The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of bipolar effective disorder, benign tumor of the right occipital area with left homonymous upper quadrantanopsia, and sacroiliac strain were denied as there was no factually ascertainable increase in disability within one year prior to her May 22, 2014 claim.,The Veteran's claims for service connection of radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, left lower extremity, and tinnitus were granted based on evidence that an increase in severity occurred during the appellate period.
The deciding factor: There was no factually ascertainable increase in disability within one year prior to the Veteran's May 22, 2014 claim for increased ratings of bipolar effective disorder, benign tumor of the right occipital area with left homonymous upper quadrantanopsia, and sacroiliac strain.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar effective disorder, benign tumor of the right occipital area with left homonymous upper quadrantanopsia, sacroiliac strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20001270
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bipolar disorder, resolving the benefit of the doubt in favor of the veteran.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a back disorder, including a herniated disc and sacroiliac strain, as it was not shown to have been incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor was it proximately due to her service-connected right ankle disability.
- Partly granted
The veteran's sacroiliac strain was rated at 10 percent prior to May 23, 2007, and increased to 20 percent from that date. The decision did not grant service connection for a left leg condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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