The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right, below-the-elbow amputation and bilateral hearing loss, render him in need of regular aid and attendance. The Board has granted an increased rate of SMC based on this need.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, particularly his bilateral hearing loss and the need for assistance with personal care, meet the criteria for SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance.
- Claimed conditions
- {"conditionName":"Right, below-the-elbow amputation"}, {"conditionName":"Left median nerve paralysis due to burns"}, {"conditionName":"Bilateral hearing loss"}, {"conditionName":"Burn scars (head, neck, left arm, left forearm, and base of right toe)"}, {"conditionName":"Right-sided tinnitus"}
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- March 15, 2010
- Citation
- 1009592
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 1009592.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims of service connection for cervical degenerative disc disease, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been withdrawn. The claim of an increased disability rating for right anterior leg tibialis muscle hernia has also been withdrawn.
- Denied
The Board has denied reopening of claims for service connection for right pterygium, bilateral hearing loss, otitis externa, and sinusitis due to lack of new and material evidence.
- Granted
The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for lung cancer residuals was pending at the time of his death. His April 2005 pulmonary function test results supported an award of a 60 percent disability rating, which is granted as accrued benefits.
- 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.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.