The Veteran's adult child, the Appellant, is not considered permanently incapable of self-support prior to her 18th birthday. Therefore, she does not qualify as a helpless child for VA benefits and her claim for DIC benefits is denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Appellant had diabetes and diabetic retinopathy by age 26, which rendered her capable of self-support at that time.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes, Diabetic retinopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20000910
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric condition and diabetes, to ensure that all relevant VA treatment records are associated with the claims file.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his alcohol-related causes of death were etiologically linked to a service-connected disability.
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