The Board granted a restoration of the 40 percent disability rating for thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease and an initial 70 percent disability rating for unspecified bipolar and related disorder, along with a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected unspecified bipolar and related disorder alone.

The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms of depressed mood, anxiety, panic attacks, near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately, and effectively, chronic sleep impairment, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships, difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances, including work or a worklike setting, inability to establish and maintain effective relationships, and intermittent ability to perform activities of daily living more nearly approximated the criteria for an initial 70 percent disability rating.

Claimed conditions

thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease (DDD), unspecified bipolar and related disorder

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

70%

Decision date

November 13, 2025

Citation

A25098421

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine