The Veteran's claim for SMC based on the highest level of aid and attendance was granted. The Veteran meets the criteria for entitlement to this benefit due to his need for personal health-care services provided on a daily basis in his home by a licensed professional, as well as his service-connected disabilities necessitating such care.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's treating physician determined that he requires 'higher level of care' due to multiple daily injections needed for his diabetes mellitus. Without this care, the Veteran would require hospitalization or other institutional care.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of left foot to upper third of left thigh with loss of use of right foot, coronary artery disease status post myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass graft, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction, atrial fibrillation, status post right fifth metacarpal fracture, scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- December 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19195998
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,217 · Granted: 46% (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 19195998.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular Aid and Attendance is granted as of April 25, 2024.,For diabetes mellitus, a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted an effective date of April 14, 1972 for the award of service connection for scars and denied a compensable disability rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding the Veteran's exposure to mercury in dental amalgams and asbestos during service. A VA medical opinion is needed to determine if these exposures are related to his claimed disabilities.
- Dismissed
The appeal concerning earlier effective dates for service connection and disability ratings has been dismissed.,No new evidence or arguments were provided to support the claims.
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