The Veteran is unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, including bipolar disorder and physical impairments.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's severe mental health condition (bipolar II Disorder) and multiple physical disabilities prevent him from engaging in substantial gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Bipolar II Disorder, Post-Lumbar Spine Surgery with Residual Decreased Range of Motion, L5-S1 Spondylosis with Disc Space Narrowing at L3-4 and L4-5, Levoscoliosis, Left Lower Extremity Radiculopathy Post-Lumbar Spine Surgery, Right Knee Chondromalacia Patella, Recurrent Bilateral Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- December 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20081190
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 Board granted an effective date of February 25, 2025 for the award of service connection for degenerative disc disease thoracolumbar spine with degenerative arthritis, spinal stenosis, and levoscoliosis.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) as his service-connected disabilities have not prevented him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for service connection of psychiatric disorders, including Bipolar II Disorder, Alcohol Use Disorder, and Stimulant Use Disorder, is remanded. The Board needs to correct duty-to-assist errors and obtain missing records.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his service-connected bipolar II disorder and related self-medication contributed to his death.
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