The Board denied special monthly pension based on the need for aid and attendance or due to housebound status prior to January 1, 2016.,The Board granted special monthly pension based on the need for aid and attendance from January 1, 2016. The appellant is in need of regular aid and assistance to keep herself clean, attend to her needs, and protect herself from daily hazards.,Payment of death pension benefits was denied prior to January 1, 2015 due to the appellant's income exceeding maximum rates.,Death pension benefits were granted from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015. The appellant’s countable income did not exceed the applicable maximum annual pension rate during this period.,Payment of death pension benefits at the rate for a surviving spouse with no dependents and with the need for aid and attendance was granted from January 1, 2016 onwards.
The deciding factor: The appellant's income exceeded the maximum pension rates for all periods except when she qualified for special monthly pension based on the need for aid and assistance.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoporosis, diverticulosis, nervous disorder, herniated discs in back
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- June 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19144666
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (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 19144666.
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.
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The Board has granted an increase in PCAFC benefits to Level 2, finding that the Veteran requires continuous supervision or protection due to his cognitive decline and repeated falls.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, and will need to obtain an addendum medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's diverticulosis and colon tumor.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including adjustment disorder, benign skin lesions, actinic keratosis, poikiloderma, porokeratosis, Parkinson's disease, benign prostatic hypertrophy, hypertension, increased urinary frequency, diverticulosis, duodenal ulcer, and bilateral cataracts are all granted due to exposure to herbicide agents, mustard gas, and ionizing radiation during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to errors in the initial decision, including inadequate medical opinions and failure to consider all theories of entitlement.
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