The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of special monthly compensation (SMC) under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) and 38 C.F.R. § 3.350(i), as the Veteran did not meet the criteria for SMC based on his service-connected disabilities prior to October 4, 2011.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's CAD was rated at 30 percent disabling prior to October 4, 2011, and he did not have a single service-connected disability rated as 100 percent or additional service-connected disability or disabilities independently ratable at 60 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- CAD (Coronary Artery Disease), PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- October 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20067650
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation prior to July 2, 2019. The Board denied the claim for TDIU on schedular and extraschedular bases.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected disabilities, specifically Meniere’s syndrome and the cardiovascular conditions he had. The Board found that these conditions aggravated his heart issues and contributed to his cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's CAD and diabetes contributed to his cause of death, cerebrovascular disease. The VA is instructed to obtain all outstanding medical records and provide a medical opinion on this issue.
- Dismissed
The appeals for increased ratings and TDIU were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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