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Granted

The veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than February 24, 1997 for the award of special monthly compensation for the loss of use of both feet was granted. The effective date is set at February 9, 1996.

The deciding factor: An ascertainable increase in the veteran's service-connected bilateral hip disability, sufficient to grant special monthly compensation based on the loss of use of both feet, was shown after he filed his claim for an increase on February 9, 1996.

Claimed conditions
Arthritis, bilateral hips, Chondromalacia patellae (both knees)
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
80%
Decision date
November 20, 2002
Citation
0216684

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 0216684.

What this means for you

A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.

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