I was medboarded for cyclothymic disorder so that's what I claimed with the VA. Since then, the diagnosis was changed to Bipolar II. The va rating is 90% and the peb rating is 70%. Will filing an additional claim to add Bipolar II bump the VA rating up since it wasn't included with the original VA claim or will it remain the same since the peb considered the bipolar diagnosis in determining the rating on their side?
VA rating does not include Bipolar II, PEB rating does
- Thread starter AnyNameIWish
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Yes mental health originally thought the mood changes weren't that great but they saw me regularly to monitor my highs and lows and that's what made them change the diagnosis.
The unsatisfying answer to your question is: maybe. @RuffBader is 100% correct; the impact (functional loss) is what the DoD and VA take into consideration when rating. However, there are multiple rating criteria that automatically increase ratings due to a mere diagnosis. Although Bipolar II isn't one of them, you may feel compelled to simply amend your claim, so the documentation is accurate. There is one huge factor to consider if you want to pursue the "accuracy" route: did the DoD place you on TDRL or PDRL?
I was placed on PDRL
Once PDRL the % doesn't change. Its that way for forever. The most you can get by law is 75% DOD so you didn't miss out on much. Also, if the condition was originally diagnosed at Bipolar II the condition would have been TDRL and so the end result could have been lower too. All in all I think you did good.
PDRL at 70% from the IPEB is a very favorable result, especially considering the potential medication and treatment costs associated with Bipolar. I would get with my IPEB counsel and PEBLO to ensure that all is good to go.