The Veteran's claim for service connection for bipolar disorder is denied as he does not have a current diagnosis of the condition.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for macular degeneration, Parkinson’s Disease, depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder are remanded due to potential exposure to herbicide agents during his military service.,The Veteran's claim for SMC based on need of aid and attendance is also remanded.
The deciding factor: There is no current diagnosis of bipolar disorder in the Veteran’s records. The Board finds that the Veteran has not met the first element of service connection, which requires a current disability.,The claims for macular degeneration, Parkinson’s Disease, depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder are remanded as there may be an association with exposure to herbicide agents during military service.,The claim for SMC is also remanded due to potential associations with the other claims.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder, macular degeneration, Parkinson's Disease, depressive disorder, anxiety disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20003934
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,820 · 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 20003934.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's vascular headaches are granted effective August 22, 2011. A TDIU is granted effective February 11, 2015. SMC based on housebound criteria is denied prior to July 14, 2020.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 100% rating for depressive disorder, effective August 1, 2020, as the reduction was improper and did not comply with applicable regulations.
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