The appeal for special monthly pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance has been dismissed as there is no case or controversy with respect to the appellant's entitlement.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the appellant had already received SMP benefits based on the need for regular aid and attendance from June 12, 2015, and thus there was no new issue for review.
- Claimed conditions
- need for regular aid and attendance
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2020
- Citation
- A20015595
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,757 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A20015595.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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: Denied
The Veteran's claim for SMC based on the need of regular aid and attendance was denied as he is in receipt of the earliest possible effective date for his claim, which is June 3, 2018.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further action regarding entitlement to SMC based on loss of use of bilateral upper and lower extremities, as well as higher rates of SMC given the need for aid and attendance.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal of SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance was dismissed because the denial had not occurred at the time he submitted his appeal. The Board found that the issue was premature as a final decision had not been made.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance. The issue of SMC based on housebound status is dismissed as moot.
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