The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for bipolar disorder has been denied, and the effective date for the assignment of a 70 percent rating is denied. The case is remanded for further consideration regarding TDIU.
The deciding factor: The objective medical evidence did not meet or approximate the level of severity contemplated by a 70 percent rating until October 17, 2017, which is later in time than the date of receipt of the Veteran's claim for an increased rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Bipolar Disorder I
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- July 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20047034
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 20047034.
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.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a sleep disorder, finding that there is no current diagnosis of a separate and distinct sleep disorder. The Veteran's sleep symptoms are considered part of his service-connected bipolar disorder I.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder is being remanded due to the need for an adequate VA examination to differentiate between service-connected and nonservice-connected psychiatric diagnoses.
- Granted
The Board found that the Appellant's character of discharge was not a bar to VA benefits due to his insanity at the time of misconduct, and service connection for Bipolar Disorder I is granted.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of hypertension was dismissed. The claim for an initial rating of 70 percent for PTSD with alcohol use disorder prior to August 27, 2020 is granted. The claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD with alcohol use disorder beginning on August 27, 2020 is denied. The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted.
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