The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him in need of regular aid and attendance, warranting SMC based on the need for aid and attendance. However, he does not qualify for SMC based on housebound status due to his TDIU.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s service-connected disabilities make him unable to attend to personal hygiene needs without assistance, rendering him in need of regular aid and attendance.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbar spine, Bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, Bilateral ankle disabilities, Right leg disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- January 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19102012
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,549 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19102012.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's right foot condition, including pain and functional limitation, is related to service. The Veteran's right leg disability did not have an onset in service or manifest within a year of service, nor is it otherwise related to service or a service-connected disability. The Veteran's left leg disability also did not have an onset in service or manifest within a year of service, nor is it otherwise related to service or a service-connected disability.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy on the basis of CUE in the February 1996 rating decision have been denied. The May 2022 rating decision is also dismissed as it failed to grant service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service connection was established based on a diagnosed condition and credible supporting evidence of an in-service stressor.,Service connection for low back disability is granted, with the diagnosis being intervertebral disc degeneration and spinal stenosis of the lumbar region (low back disability).,The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to his now service-connected low back disability is granted. The link between the two conditions was established by medical evidence.,Service connection for residuals of a head injury, manifested as head pain, memory impairment, loss of balance, and dizziness, is granted based on credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressor occurred.,The Veteran's right foot disability does not meet service connection criteria.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for his right leg and right ankle disabilities, as well as a compensable rating for his left knee scar, were denied. The Board found that the Veteran failed to cooperate with scheduled VA examinations without providing good cause.
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