The Veteran's claims for a compensable rating prior to March 2, 2014, for left TMJ pain and a rating in excess of 50 percent for bipolar disorder with PTSD are remanded. The TDIU claim is also remanded pending additional development.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has testified that his conditions have worsened since previous examinations, necessitating new evaluations to determine the current severity of his disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- left temporal mandibular joint pain, bipolar disorder with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20081234
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,861 · Granted: 27% (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 20081234.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for her service-connected bipolar disorder with PTSD is remanded due to the assertion of increased severity since her last VA examination in February 2014.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for bipolar disorder with PTSD, and also alleges clear and unmistakable error in a November 1999 rating decision. The case must be remanded to address both issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's bipolar disorder with PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks prior to April 3, 2015. Beginning on April 3, 2015, the disability resulted in more severe impairment.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea with restless leg syndrome has been reopened. His bipolar disorder with PTSD is rated at the maximum allowable under the rating criteria, and his other issues are denied.
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