The Board denied the Veteran's stepdaughter M.M.'s claim for recognition as his helpless child due to her permanent incapacity for self-support prior to attaining the age of 18, finding that she has not been permanently incapable of self-support since before reaching 18.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that M.M. had significant visual deficits and psychiatric disorders but was able to engage in substantial work efforts and hold a job, which is considered prima facie evidence of her ability to support herself.
- Claimed conditions
- legal blindness, psychiatric disorders
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19176201
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 961 · Granted: 20% (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 19176201.
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