The veteran's son, C.L.L., is seeking helpleess child benefits due to his son becoming permanently incapable of self-support before the age of 18. The VA needs to obtain SSA records for the period prior to C.L.L.'s 18th birthday to determine if he was eligible for disability benefits.
The deciding factor: The veteran's son is not considered a child due to his continued eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) after turning 18, which means he cannot be considered permanently incapable of self-support before the age of 18.
- Claimed conditions
- Psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 15, 2007
- Citation
- 0735981
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 0735981.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for psychiatric disorder, right shoulder condition, and right knee condition due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction due to insufficient evidence or further clarification.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination and opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current psychiatric condition, including PTSD, and service. The Veteran is also not entitled to a rating or effective date as this matter is being remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity is granted as service connected. The left knee disability and psychiatric disorder are remanded for further development.
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