The Veteran's surviving spouse was granted SMC at the (l) level based on his need for regular aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities, with all reasonable doubts resolved in favor of the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The Board concluded that the Veteran had a factual need for the regular aid and attendance of another person due to his service-connected disabilities for the entire period on appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- Right hip disability, Left hip disability, Psoriasis, Duodenal ulcer, Residuals of fractures of the right index finger, right fifth metacarpal, left distal fifth metacarpal, and right fifth toe, Bilateral hearing loss, Hemorrhoids, Anxiety reaction with compulsive features, Back strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- October 19, 2018
- Citation
- 18143659
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 18143659.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for depressive disorder as secondary to hypertension and tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but remanded the claim for degenerative disc disease with degenerative arthritis.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an increased rating for PTSD with alcohol use disorder and discectomy with lumbar discogenic pain but granted a 20% initial rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy from April 18, 2023 through January 16, 2024. The service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss but granted for left knee Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD).
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
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