The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render her in need of regular assistance from another person for daily activities or to protect herself from hazards, thus denying her claim for SMC based on the need for aid and attendance.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish that the Veteran is so helpless as to require regular A&A due to her service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- major depression with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), low back strain, left foot callosities, vaginitis, chronic cystitis, right knee degenerative joint disease (DJD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19189730
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,669 · Granted: 23% (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 19189730.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Veteran withdrew all his appeals, including the one for an increased rating for low back strain.
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- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a low back strain has been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of this issue.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder, right shoulder, and low back disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.
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