The Board denied service connection for a back disability and remanded the claim for bipolar disorder due to insufficient evidence.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's back disability began during active service, has been continuous since separation, or is otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease. The Board also found that there was no clear and unmistakable evidence of pre-existing bipolar disorder and that it was not aggravated by military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bipolar disorder, Degenerative lower back arthritis (back disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 5, 2025
- Citation
- A25010739
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 575 · Granted: 29% (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 A25010739.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, bipolar disorder, and depression was granted. The claim for a low back disability was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that new evidence supports the readjudication of the claim for service connection for a mental disorder, but dismissed appeals seeking compensable ratings for residuals of right hand 5th metacarpal fracture and left ear hearing loss. The case is remanded to determine if an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is related to service.
- Granted
The Board has granted readjudication of the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD. The case is remanded for further action by the AOJ.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and bipolar disorder, finding that his pre-existing conditions were aggravated by his military service.
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