The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability to include bipolar disorder and other specified trauma- and stressor-related disorder, but denied or dismissed the remaining claims.
The deciding factor: The evidence supported a direct link between the Veteran's military service and his diagnosed psychiatric disorders, while there was insufficient corroborating evidence for his claimed in-service stressors related to PTSD. The Board also found that higher ratings were not warranted for heart disease beyond 60 percent and hypertension at 10 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- atrial fibrillation with bradycardia, fractured left femur, central and obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus type 2, skin cancer, nonobstructive coronary artery disease, seborrheic dermatitis, hyperlipidemia, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acquired psychiatric disability to include bipolar disorder and other specified trauma- and stressor-related disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 18, 2024
- Citation
- 24002670
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 17, 2022, for the grant of service connection for PTSD.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for an increased rating of his service-connected PTSD during a Board hearing, and the appeal is therefore dismissed.
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