The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including unspecified anxiety disorder and bipolar disorder II, is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities (obstructive sleep apnea, migraine headaches, and lumbar strain/myositis).
The deciding factor: The medical evidence of record regarding the Veteran’s claim for service connection an acquired psychiatric disorder is in equipoise. The private medical opinion supports that the Veteran's Bipolar II Disorder is at least as likely as not caused by his lumbar condition, migraine headaches, and sleep apnea.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder II
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20059260
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 20059260.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected unspecified anxiety disorder alone warrants a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU), and he has additional service-connected disabilities rated at least 60 percent. The Board grants special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate.
- Granted
The Veteran's anxiety and depressive disorders were rated at a 70 percent disability rating effective May 6, 2015.,Effective May 6, 2015, the Veteran was granted an earlier effective date for DEA benefits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, including unspecified anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, kleptomania, and PTSD is being remanded due to the AOJ's failure to obtain medical records from his periods of incarceration or a medical opinion regarding his diagnoses.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disability and a TDIU due solely to service-connected acquired psychiatric disability are being remanded because the VA did not provide him with a new VA examination, which is a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected acquired psychiatric disability.
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