The Veteran's bipolar disorder has been rated at 50 percent since August 2011, but the Board has determined that a higher 70 percent rating is warranted due to his symptoms and hospitalizations.,The Veteran also meets the criteria for TDIU based on his service-connected bipolar disorder.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bipolar disorder causes occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to symptoms like suicidal ideation, obsessional rituals, near-continuous panic or depression, impaired impulse control, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene, difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances, and inability to establish effective relationships.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- October 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20065493
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (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 20065493.
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 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's bipolar disorder was rated at 50% and then reduced to 30%. The Board has now granted a 70% rating effective November 23, 2021, based on the improvement in her symptoms.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in loss of use of both feet, which qualifies her for an allowance for an automobile and adaptive equipment.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to March 2, 2015, for TDIU was denied as the evidence did not show actual worsening within one year prior to his March 2, 2015, claim.
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