The veteran's disabilities, while rated as 90 percent combined, do not meet the criteria for special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance of another person or being housebound.
The deciding factor: The veteran is not bedridden or unable to dress/undress himself without assistance, indicating he does not require regular aid and attendance.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depression, Passive Aggressive Personality Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Diabetes Mellitus, Valvular Heart Disease (Aortic Insufficiency), Peripheral Neuropathy - Left Lower Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy - Right Lower Extremity, Muscle Spasm in the Lower Back, Right Ulnar Damage Secondary to Burn with Numbness of Right Arm, Peripheral Neuropathy - Left Upper Extremity, Alcoholic Liver Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 90%
- Decision date
- May 28, 2002
- Citation
- 0205475
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0205475.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and a psychiatric disability due to insufficient evidence of the severity required for higher ratings.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial evaluation of 70 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, anxiety disorder, and major depression.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for his diabetes mellitus, a higher rating for PTSD with alcohol use disorder, and a total disability rating due to service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor based on a corroborated in-service stressor event.
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