The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance or housebound status was denied because he did not meet the criteria for SMC as his service-connected disabilities were insufficient to qualify him for this benefit.
The deciding factor: The Veteran had two service-connected disabilities, but they did not combine to result in a single disability rated at 100% disabling. Additionally, there was no evidence that his need for aid and attendance or housebound status was due to his service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- status-post prostate cancer with voiding dysfunction, prostate cancer status post brachytherapy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20001390
Veterans Law Judge
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20001390.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's prostate cancer status post brachytherapy with erectile dysfunction is granted as service-connected due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his active service in Vietnam.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's prostate cancer status post brachytherapy has residuals which manifest as obstructive voiding; post void residuals greater than 150 cc; uroflowmetry; markedly diminished peak flow rate (less than 10 cc/sec); recurrent urinary tract infections secondary to obstruction; or stricture disease requiring periodic dilatation every 2 to 3 months. The evidence of record does not support a compensable rating for the Veteran's residuals prostate cancer status post brachytherapy.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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