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Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that involves drastic mood swings, including manic and depressed episodes. These extreme emotional highs and lows can make it difficult for a veteran to acclimate socially or even to maintain employment after their military service has ended.
Military service may trigger or aggravate a person’s bipolar disorder. You have the opportunity to seek VA disability benefits for this condition, but proving a service connection between your bipolar disorder and your military career is not always easy. A VA claims lawyer can help you establish this connection.
What are the Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is highlighted by a series of manic symptoms followed by depressive episodes. When a person is manic, they can feel full of energy but also deal with difficulty communicating, racing thoughts, and irritability. During depressive episodes, they can feel symptoms of depression and deal with sleep disruptions.
The most serious of these conditions is known as bipolar 1. Episodes can last for at least 7 days, and in serious cases might lead to hospitalization or suicidal thoughts. A veteran can find their life impacted for weeks at a time or longer with these conditions.
Medically speaking, there are less serious versions of bipolar disorder known as bipolar 2 and cyclothymic disorder. While they generally involve symptoms that do not last as long, the impact can still be substantial.
“As Likely as Not” Standard
One of the most important things to consider when identifying a service connection for bipolar disorder is the standard of proof used by the VA. This standard is very different than the high “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard in a criminal trial. The standard in this case is even lower than the “preponderance of the evidence” standard in civil lawsuits. Instead, you only need to show that it is at least as likely as not that your bipolar disorder is etiologically related to your service.
The use of this standard highlights the less-adversarial nature of disability claims. Instead of fighting to prove your case beyond some arbitrary, high standard, you only need to show there is roughly a 50 percent chance that your condition stems from your time in the military.
This might be a lower standard than many other types of proceedings, but that does not mean your claim is guaranteed to succeed. Countless veterans have their disability claims denied each year, especially when they lack the support of a VA claims lawyer.
Onset of Bipolar During Service
One of the strongest cases for tying your bipolar disorder to your service is to establish the onset of your symptoms while you were still serving. If your bipolar disorder coincides with your military service, it is natural to presume that there is a connection. Given the low burden of proof in these cases, this evidence could go a long way towards having your claim approved.
However, there are phases to bipolar disorder, and the early signs and symptoms might not immediately be obvious. Most people with this condition go through something known as the prodromal phase in their early 20s. Medical research suggest that high-stress events or trauma can trigger the first bipolar episode.
To make the case for service connection, you could provide evidence of distressing events like combat or military sexual trauma that occurred shortly before the onset of your symptoms.
Having medical records that confirm these details could be vital to your case. You could also provide letters from the people you served with detailing the facts of your first episode. A VA claims lawyer can help you build the strongest case possible.
Our VA Claims Lawyer Explains the Importance of Nexus Letters
A useful tool in these cases is a VA nexus letter. These letters are more than just correspondence, as they are authored by medical professionals with a history of treating mood disorders. They include a review of your medical history as well as citations to scholarly journals that help establish that your bipolar disorder could have been aggravated or caused by a traumatic event during your military service.
Claims for psychological conditions must come from a qualified psych professional. If your claim is denied, a VA claims lawyer could help you arrange for a nexus letter as part of your appeal.
Let Gang & Associates Help Prove Service Connectivity
Proving a service connection for a condition like bipolar disorder can be challenging. Instead of directly causing this disability, VA claims are focused more on whether or not the condition was aggravated or made worse. This can leave the VA with an excuse to deny a claim based on a previously existing condition.
At Gang & Associates, we can help you following a denial. You have the right to appeal the decision, and we can assist with establishing a service connection for bipolar disorder. Contact us today to discuss your options with a VA claims lawyer.