The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disability, claimed as bipolar disorder with alcohol use disorder and an inguinal hernia with post-operative residuals, finding that the disabilities existed prior to active duty and were not aggravated during service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion concluded that the Veteran's psychiatric disabilities clearly and unmistakably existed prior to his active duty period from March 2021 to September 2021 and were not aggravated therein. For the inguinal hernia, there was no evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder with alcohol use disorder, inguinal hernia with post-operative residuals
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 21, 2025
- Citation
- A25036289
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,762 · 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 A25036289.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a higher rating and an earlier effective date for an acquired psychiatric condition due to the failure to provide an informal conference as required by regulation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates on direct basis for service connection for depression and bipolar disorder with alcohol use disorder, as well as Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). The motion for revision of the August 27, 2015, Rating Decision is also being remanded.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the matter of service connection for dental trauma. Service connection was granted for a psychiatric disability, bilateral hearing loss, left knee disability, right knee disability, skin condition, gastritis, and occipital laceration.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.