The Veteran's right elbow disability is not service-connected as secondary to his left knee disability. His bipolar disorder has been granted a 50% rating, and he was awarded separate ratings for instability of the left knee and TDIU prior to October 24, 2019.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found no medical evidence linking the right elbow disability to his service-connected left knee disability. The Veteran's bipolar disorder symptoms were rated as moderate based on his reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as flattened affect, difficulty in understanding complex commands, impairment of short-and long-term memory.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Elbow Disability, Bipolar Disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- May 26, 2021
- Citation
- 21032347
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 21032347.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD with bipolar disorder has resulted in total occupational and social impairment, warranting a 100% disability rating effective August 8, 2018.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depressive disorder, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not attributable to his active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, and for a right knee condition are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The AOJ must attempt to verify the claimed stressor events and provide a VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the Veteran's PTSD and bipolar disorder, as well as a failure to provide an adequate VA examination prior to the rating decision.
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