The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be alcohol abuse, which is not service-connected.,Service connection for the cause of death was granted due to a finding that his bipolar disorder contributed substantially to his death.
The deciding factor: The private medical opinion concluded that the Veteran used alcohol to self-medicate his severe and persistent service-connected bipolar II disorder, contributing to his death caused by alcohol abuse.
- Claimed conditions
- Bipolar II Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2024
- Citation
- 24003883
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,858 · Granted: 24% (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 24003883.
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 Veteran's increased rating of 100 percent for bipolar II disorder is granted, effective prior to September 30, 2024. SMC based on housebound criteria is also granted, effective prior to September 30, 2024.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, as evidenced by his part-time employment during the appeals period.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar II Disorder, finding that the Veteran's conditions were not related to his active military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and Bipolar II Disorder, is rated at 70 percent from June 26, 2023, to present.
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