The Board denied Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) for loss of use of the left foot because the Veteran's left lower extremity disability does not result in loss of use, as he can still ambulate safely with the use of an ankle-foot orthosis and cane.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence showed that while significantly limited, the Veteran’s left lower extremity disability did not result in loss of use of the foot due to his ability to ambulate safely with the use of the AFO and cane.
- Claimed conditions
- Left lower extremity disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2019
- Citation
- A19002983
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 A19002983.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matters for further development, including obtaining adequate medical examinations to determine the Veteran's current level of disability and whether there is loss of use of both feet or legs.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a low back disability, left and right lower extremity disabilities, and an acquired psychiatric disorder to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to separate compensable ratings for bilateral lower extremity and upper extremity disabilities due to insufficient medical evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions due to insufficient evidence and the need for additional development of the record.
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