The Veteran's helpless child, R., is already in receipt of additional dependency benefits at the maximum rate due to his permanent incapacity for self-support prior to reaching age 18. The Veteran's appeal for a higher rate is denied as it does not meet the criteria.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's helpless child was recognized as such on September 20, 2017, and the monthly payment amount was reduced from $3,787.32 to $2,299.00 upon recognition of R. as a helpless child, which is consistent with VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- permanent incapacity for self-support prior to attaining the age of 18
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19191172
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,990 · Granted: 35% (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 19191172.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's stepchild, C.W., was previously removed from his VA compensation due to not meeting the criteria for being a helpless child. The AOJ found that C.W.'s disability onset date was June 30, 2021, which is after he turned 18 years old. The Board determined this finding was erroneous and remanded the case for further action.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's son, E.F., is being remanded for further evaluation to determine if he was permanently incapable of self-support prior to his 18th birthday.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for recognition of A.S. as a helpless child due to permanent incapacity for self-support prior to attaining the age of 18 is remanded due to insufficient notice and incomplete medical records.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for recognition of T. as a helpless child on the basis of permanent incapacity for self-support prior to attaining the age of 18 is granted with payment at the helpless child rate beginning on August 2, 2014.
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