The Board found that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not meet the criteria for SMC at the (r)(1) rate prior to March 26, 1993 due to lack of loss of use of his right foot and need for regular aid and attendance.
The deciding factor: Medical evidence showed no loss of use of the veteran's right foot prior to March 26, 1993.
- Claimed conditions
- bowel dysfunction, loss of bowel control, loss of bladder control, left footdrop, paraplegia of both legs
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- February 24, 2006
- Citation
- 0605478
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for eligibility for specially adapted housing is granted due to his service-connected disabilities affecting the function of balance and propulsion, precluding locomotion.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claim for entitlement to service connection for prostate cancer and denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for loss of use of the bilateral lower legs and loss of bladder control.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for erectile dysfunction, loss of bowel control, and loss of bladder control as they were not caused by carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instances of fault on the part of VA.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of August 10, 2022, for the grant of service connection for erectile dysfunction and bowel dysfunction, and a disability rating of 30 percent for bowel dysfunction on and after that date.
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