The Veteran's claim for SMC based on need for regular aid and attendance of another person, or by reason of being housebound is remanded due to inadequate findings regarding loss of use of the lower extremities. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.
The deciding factor: Further examination is needed to determine if the Veteran requires regular aid and attendance and whether he is housebound due to his service-connected disabilities, including low back strain with intervertebral disc syndrome, bowel and bladder incontinence related to the back disability, and neuropathy of the lower extremities related to the back disability.
- Claimed conditions
- low back strain with intervertebral disc syndrome, bowel and bladder incontinence related to the back disability, neuropathy of the lower extremities related to the back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 9, 2009
- Citation
- 0921640
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 0921640.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted increased ratings for the Veteran's low back strain and right ankle strain, as well as a TDIU prior to December 23, 2022, and an effective date of December 21, 2017, but no earlier, for DEA benefits.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected low back strain with intervertebral disc syndrome renders him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted TDIU due to this condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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