The Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection of bowel incontinence was denied. He is granted SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(l) due to need for regular aid and attendance, SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(o) based on two existing awards of SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(l), and SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(r)(1) due to need for higher level care.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected bilateral shoulder disabilities render him in need of regular aid and attendance, warranting the additional allowance of SMC-R(1).
- Claimed conditions
- bowel incontinence, bilateral above the knee amputations
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- October 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19181655
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,676 · Granted: 24% (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 19181655.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's bowel incontinence is rated at 60 percent, but not more. The Board also granted a TDIU prior to January 18, 2013.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for bowel incontinence and residuals scarring associated with a colon biopsy are denied, as is his claim for service connection for chronic headaches. His claims for lumbosacral strain and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for bowel incontinence was granted with an effective date of November 12, 2015. The Board found that the AOJ did not properly handle the supplemental claim application and implicitly waived any procedural defects.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to a compensable disability rating for bowel incontinence and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to insufficient evidence regarding the severity of his bowel incontinence. The case is being returned to the AOJ for further action.
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