I have been denied VA disability and I'm appealing. My application for benefits is for mental health, specifically Bipolar Disorder (BPD). I have over 30 years since leaving the service and have been treated most of that time for BPD.

I had a mental health hospitalization in the service where my first diagnosis was Bipolar Disorder. This was changed to Schizoid Personality for a final diagnosis. However, the service medical record was full of symptoms for BPD. My current VA Psychologist is convinced that I had Bipolar Disorder in the service. He has written this into his case notes with his reasons. I will be talking to my VA Psychiatrist again soon and will see if she will also document that in her professional opinion that the service hospitalization was for BPD. My brother and sister are writing letters that state that I had pronounced cyclic mood highs and lows after leaving the military.

I am looking for any ideas that you other veterans have. Has this deal of the military changing a diagnosis happened to anyone else? What is the best way to deal with it? My denial was because no service connection exists, but it does exist if they accept my correct service diaganosis of Bipolar Disorder. I have contacted a legal firm to possibly represent me for the appeal. Thanks in advance for your responses to this post.

You should not have to much trouble winning your claim. Looks solid so far.

Welcome to Hadit

Talk to your doctor about dual diagnosis. It is possiable to have more than one mental disorder. In most of the disorders the symptoms overlap. You can have both!

It looks to me that even if the original diagnosis had remained they would owe you compensation based on the schizophrenia.

Have you presented this documentation to the VA?

"My current VA Psychologist is convinced that I had Bipolar Disorder in the service. He has written this into his case notes with his reasons."

Do you have a copy of your med recs?

Sometimes VA psychological and psychiatric documentations do not make it into the actual clinical record.I had to get copies of my husband's psychiatrist notes directly from the VA doctor himself.

Bi Polar has been misunderstood by the military for many years-decades-
I helped a Navy vet prove that a Captain's Mass he had was not a discipline problem at all but in fact a severe manifestation of bi polar.After 12 years he finally succeeded in his claim-100 % P & T SC for bi polar.

Do you have your SMRs as well as copies of your medical records? You also mentioned treatment during last 30 years-does VA have those medical records?

Anything in your SMRs and even your military personnel file can reveal manifestations of bi polar illness.

Steve1000, I hope that you get what's due. In my appeal to correct&increase nsc pd to sc mdd, I listed smr info and other supporting documents in an easy order for the raters to see. Added personal stressor letter, family letters, official documents of incidents, VA diagnosis's and dates, etc. For that claim no c&p thanks to Va doc letter. Got a fair starting %, but rating and dates are being appealed now.

Best to ya,
Cg'up2009!