The Board found that the Appellant is not entitled to special monthly pension (SMP) based on her need for aid and attendance, as she does not meet the criteria of actual requirements of personal assistance from others.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not reflect an actual requirement for the aid and attendance of another person, nor was there any indication that the Appellant is legally blind or requires nursing home care.
- Claimed conditions
- dizziness, memory loss, lower back pain, knee and hip joint issues, balance impairment, upper extremity weakness, left shoulder limited range of motion
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19117994
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 882 · Granted: 17% (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 19117994.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that additional VA opinions are needed to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's dizziness, including benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, and tension headaches, including migraines. The opinions should consider the Veteran's participation in a TERA and the combined effect of all his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a VA examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's lower back pain.
- Denied
The Veteran's dizziness condition is rated at a 10 percent disability rating under Diagnostic Code 6204, as the evidence does not show occasional staggering. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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