The medical evidence shows that the veteran is able to feed, dress, bathe, and clothe himself, does not need assistance on a regular basis in protecting himself from hazards or dangers incident to his daily environment, and is able to care for 'the wants of nature'. Therefore, he does not meet the criteria for higher level of special monthly compensation based on the need for the aid and attendance of another person.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not necessitate regular aid and attendance as he can perform daily activities independently without requiring assistance from another person.
- Claimed conditions
- paraplegia with loss of use of both feet, neurogenic bladder, impairment of anal sphincter control, right carpal tunnel syndrome, cervical degenerative disc disease and cervical spondylosis, left carpal tunnel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2003
- Citation
- 0306754
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 680 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0306754.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including Parkinson's disease and related disabilities of the upper and lower extremities, have caused loss of use in both hands and need for aid and attendance due to his lower extremity disability, kidney disease, and neurogenic bladder. The Board has granted SMC based on these findings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to a duty to assist error, requiring new VA examinations for the appellant's left carpal tunnel syndrome and left wrist osteoarthritis.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeal as it found that the benefits originally sought have been granted in full, and thus there is no longer a specific error of fact or law to address.
- Granted
The Veteran's left and right carpal tunnel syndrome have been granted increased ratings to 20% and 30%, respectively, effective from the date of the decision.
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