The Board has granted an effective date of December 27, 2016 for SMC based on aid and attendance. The § 1151 claim is remanded due to deficiencies in the November 2017 VA medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The November 2017 VA medical opinion did not address the crux of the Veteran's claim regarding a delay in fulfilling his requests for assistive devices and a VA orthopedic evaluation, which may have contributed to his left knee condition.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee instability, left knee anterior cruciate ligament tear, left knee meniscal tear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19153564
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,990 · Granted: 35% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19153564.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left knee meniscal tear and denied his request for an increased rating for left knee laxity.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings and service connection were dismissed. The Board found that the Veteran withdrew his appeal as to the issues of entitlement to increased disability ratings for left foot metatarsalgia, tinnitus, left wrist disability, right foot plantar warts, and for service connection for right foot plantar warts at a September 2024 hearing. Service connection was granted for migraines.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU rating.
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