The Veteran's claim for SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance is being remanded due to increased severity of his service-connected disabilities, including diabetic neuropathy. A new VA examination is needed to assess his need for aid and assistance.
The deciding factor: Increased severity of service-connected disabilities necessitates a reassessment of the Veteran's need for aid and attendance.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetic neuropathy of the upper extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19118961
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,757 · Granted: 23% (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 19118961.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized non-VA medical expenses related to paramedic treatment on December 9, 2019 is granted. The Board found that the condition was a service-connected disability (diabetes mellitus) and that seeking immediate emergency care was reasonable given the patient's unresponsive state due to low blood sugar.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional verification of his exposure to herbicide agents during his period of active service.
- Granted
The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for service connection for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, as well as hypertension based on new and material evidence has been granted.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for his scar associated with umbilical hernia is denied.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for various conditions, including degenerative joint disease, diabetes mellitus type II, diabetic neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, hypertension, coronary artery disease, benign prostatic hyperplasia, status post penis carcinoma, and right shoulder status post lipoma. The claims are based on direct service connection rather than presumptive exposure to herbicides.
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