The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him unable to attend to the necessary activities of daily living, and he is able to care for himself and his environment. Therefore, he does not meet the criteria for SMC based on need for regular aid and attendance.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has a history of service-connected depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and panic attacks but is capable of performing most activities of daily living with assistance from his wife when needed.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive disorder not otherwise specified (NOS), Anxiety disorder NOS, Panic attacks and agoraphobia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2013
- Citation
- 1333287
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 1333287.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder and depression do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, as his physical impairments also contribute to his unemployability. The Board denied the TDIU claim due to lack of evidence showing exceptional factors from his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's anxiety disorder is rated at 50 percent, costochondritis with thoracolumbar lumbar strain at 40 percent, cervical spine degenerative disc disease at 30 percent, left upper extremity radiculopathy at 20 percent, and migraines at 10 percent. All other claims are denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that there was no credible corroborating evidence of a verified stressor and concluding that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's anxiety disorder NOS is rated at 50 percent since September 29, 2003. The issue of an initial rating for severe lumbar myositis and the TDIU claim are remanded due to inadequate examination reports.
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