The Veteran's conditions do not render him in need of regular aid and attendance, as he is generally independent in self-care and activities of daily living. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence does not show that the Veteran meets the requirements for a special monthly pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's visual acuity is significantly diminished but does not meet the criteria for blindness or near blindness in both eyes, nor does he require assistance with daily activities due to his physical condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Macular Degeneration, age-related, status post bilateral cataract surgery and laser surgery, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2009
- Citation
- 0913863
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 0913863.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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