The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance is being remanded due to the need for further development, including a VA examination.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has service-connected disabilities that may affect his ability to perform activities of daily living. Further evaluation is needed to determine if he requires assistance from another person.
- Claimed conditions
- post traumatic arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, herniated nucleus pulposus, degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, fractured, undisplaced left sixth rib with fracture right 10th rib with nonunion and resection and fracture of the rib, fracture of the left little finger
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2015
- Citation
- 1516099
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 1516099.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's need for the regular aid and attendance of another person was determined due to his service-connected disabilities, leading to a grant of special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance for accrued benefits purposes.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine and radiculopathy affecting both upper and lower extremities, while dismissing the claim for cervicogenic headaches.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded all issues for further development and examination. The Veteran's claims involve various ratings for service-connected disabilities related to the lumbar spine, lower extremities, and knees.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, right upper extremity radiculopathy, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, and right lower extremity radiculopathy, have resulted in a combined rating of 60 percent as of March 15, 2019. The Board has granted an earlier effective date for TDIU to this point.
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