The Veteran's service-connected major depressive disorder does not render him in need of regular aid and attendance or confined to his home, thus SMC based on housebound status and/or need for regular aid and attendance is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has only a single service-connected disability (major depressive disorder) rated 100% disabling. He does not have any additional disabilities that would qualify him for statutory or factual housebound entitlement, nor does he require the assistance of another person to attend to daily activities due to his service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- Not specified
- Citation
- 18100166
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 18100166.
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 granted initial ratings of 40 percent for lumbar spine disorder, 70 percent for major depressive disorder, and 40 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy. TDIU and SMC based on housebound status were also granted.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, based on the Veteran's military service in Vietnam.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, currently diagnosed as other specified trauma and stressor related disorder and major depressive disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD and major depressive disorder, finding that these conditions originated during active service. The claims for a recurrent sleep disability and a recurrent respiratory disability were remanded for further development.
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