The veteran's conditions do not render him permanently bedridden or in need of regular aid and attendance, as he can walk unaided with the help of a cane. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against the award of special monthly pension based upon the need for regular aid and attendance or by reason of being housebound.
The deciding factor: The veteran's visual acuity is nearly complete when corrected, he does not meet criteria for blindness or near blindness. He also does not meet criteria for confinement to a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity. The evidence shows that the veteran can walk unaided and perform daily activities without assistance.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes mellitus type 2, essential hypertension, degenerative joint disease of the knees, pending right knee replacement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2007
- Citation
- 0717708
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 0717708.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of essential hypertension is denied as the evidence does not show he had potential entitlement at the time of the liberalizing law, and his current effective date is one year prior to the date of his July 2024 Supplemental Claim.
- Granted
The Board has granted an effective date of May 15, 2013 for the Veteran's TDIU and DEA benefits claims based on continuous pursuit of his claim since May 15, 2013. The effective dates are fixed in accordance with the facts found.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension and diabetes, finding that the evidence did not show chronic symptoms during service or continuous post-service symptoms.
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