The veteran is granted special monthly compensation for the need of regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected low back disability.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected low back disorder, degenerative disc disease at L4-5 with radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, requires him to be in need of regular aid and assistance in attending to ordinary activities of daily living and protecting himself from hazards incident to his environment.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease at L4-5 with radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, Anxiety with irritability and insomnia, Left varicocele, Hemorrhoids
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2009
- Citation
- 0902162
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of increased rating for back disability, service connection for sleep apnea, left heel, and hemorrhoids, as well as entitlement to a TDIU prior to August 1, 2025, for additional development.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for higher ratings on all claims due to untimely Notices of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s).
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an initial compensable rating for hemorrhoids. However, the Veteran was granted a 50% rating prior to June 12, 2024, and a 100% rating from that date forward for his acquired psychiatric disability.
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