The Veteran's claim of service connection for bipolar disorder has been reopened and granted. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, high cholesterol, tinnitus, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder (including bipolar disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder), and sleep disorder are all remanded.
The deciding factor: New evidence submitted by the Veteran includes a private medical opinion linking his current mental health conditions to service. The Board finds that this new evidence raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder, high cholesterol, tinnitus, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder (including bipolar disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder), sleep disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20026268
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 20026268.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- 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 Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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