The Board denied both claims for recognition of J. as a helpless child and apportionment of the Veteran's VA compensation benefits, finding that the evidence did not support the appellant's claim that J. was permanently incapable of self-support prior to his eighteenth birthday.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence showed that J.'s psychiatric symptoms began after he turned 18 and were severe enough to require hospitalization at age 25, indicating he was not permanently incapable of self-support before reaching 18 years old.
- Claimed conditions
- Paranoid schizophrenia, Psychotic disorder, Schizophreniform disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 18, 2018
- Citation
- 1803488
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1803488.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than paranoid schizophrenia, to include substance abuse disorders and PTSD, as secondary to the already service-connected paranoid schizophrenia. Service connection for PTSD is also granted based on evidence of record at least in equipoise with the claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to obtain a medical opinion that addresses whether the Veteran's diagnosed conditions of paranoid schizophrenia and insomnia are related to service.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals for service connection for insomnia, a left shoulder disability, a psychotic disorder, and depressive disorder due to untimely filing of a notice of disagreement.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted an award of special monthly compensation (SMC) based on his service-connected paranoid schizophrenia and renal cancer, but the appeal for a higher level of SMC due to the need for a higher level of care in addition to regular aid and attendance was denied.
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