The veteran's claim for additional special monthly compensation is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if he suffers from loss of use in either hand.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the March 6, 2003 decision did not consider whether the veteran was entitled to additional special monthly compensation based on loss of use of his left hand and directed the RO to obtain a medical examination for this purpose.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of use of left hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 11, 2004
- Citation
- 0406506
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,643 · Granted: 15% (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 0406506.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for SMC based on loss of use of the left hand is dismissed as it has already been granted. The Board finds that he meets the criteria for SMC by reason of need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities, including loss of use of the left hand. However, he does not meet the criteria for SMC based on housebound status.
- Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates of October 7, 2015 for the Veteran's service connection for loss of use of bilateral lower extremities and left hand.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a higher SMC rate is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and expert medical opinion on his degree of infirmity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including those for hepatic steatosis, loss of use of his feet and hands, vision disability, renal condition, immune system dysfunction, cardiovascular condition, and psychological disability. The AOJ is instructed to schedule examinations for these conditions and provide a rationale for their relationship to service or secondary to RA.
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