The Board has granted SMC at the rate provided under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(m) effective June 29, 2012 and SMC at the rate provided under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(n) effective October 18, 2016 for anatomical loss of the left leg so near the hip as to prevent use of a prosthetic appliance with loss of use of the left hand.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the Veteran had anatomical loss or loss of use of both legs and hands, which met the criteria for SMC at the (m) rate. The effective date was determined based on the earliest evidence showing loss of use of the left hand.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Leg Amputation with Loss of Use of Left Hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- October 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19181522
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,977 · Granted: 27% (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 19181522.
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
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