The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities. However, he does not qualify for housebound benefits as his single service-connected disability rated at 100% does not meet the requirement of additional service-connected disabilities independently ratable at 60%.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's combined rating is 70%, which meets the threshold for SMC based on need for aid and attendance. However, he does not have a single service-connected disability rated as 100% disabling, thus failing to meet the requirement for housebound benefits under 38 C.F.R. § 3.350(i).
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral spine strain with degenerative disc disease and facet arthrosis, postoperative partial meniscectomy of the right knee, osteoarthritis of the right knee, left knee strain, right knee scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- August 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19166590
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 19166590.
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 Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, right wrist strain, and TBI. The Veteran's PTSD rating was remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including the failure to obtain relevant treatment records and provide adequate VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hip and knee disabilities, as well as a TDIU claim, to ensure adequate VA examinations are conducted.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left hip iliopsoas tendonitis, right knee strain, and left knee strain as secondary to lumbosacral strain. Service connection was also granted for cannabis use disorder as secondary to mental health conditions of PTSD, major depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder, and TBI. However, the Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD and granted a separate disability rating of 40 percent for TBI.
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