The rating reduction from a 70 percent rating to a 50 percent rating for bipolar II disorder and cannabis use disorder effective July 1, 2022 was proper. The appeal is therefore denied. Entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea is remanded.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows substantial improvement in the Veteran's disability, with occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.
- Claimed conditions
- Bipolar II Disorder, Cannabis Use Disorder, Sleep Apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2024
- Citation
- A24080867
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A24080867.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder, memory loss/memory problems, chronic fatigue, sleep difficulties/sleep disturbances, and sleep apnea have been denied. The claim for service connection for residuals of testicular denervation and varicosectomy has been granted.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Veteran's asthma is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.,The Veteran's sleep apnea claim has been remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's PTSD has been granted a 70% rating effective March 25, 2024. The Board found that the increase in severity of his disability warranted this rating.
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