Well, I can't speak for bi-polar, but I have major depressive disorder with manic tendancies. I had a few more hoops to jump through, even with the state. I had to prove my depression was under control, that I was good about maintaining my medication and I had to have a full psych evaluation done by a neutral agency before approval. Even then, it was brought up again when we went to court for finalization. As you can see by my sig, everything turned out fine.
My advice is be upfront with the agency. And if you get turned down, try again with someone else. We went through the state and never tried a private agency, but our experience was good with them.
Blessings,
Jenny