The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for financial assistance for automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment, as they do not result in permanent impairment of both eyes, severe burn injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ankylosis of a knee or hip, or loss of use of a hand or foot such that no effective function remains other than what would be equally well served by an amputation stump at the site of election below the elbow or knee with the use of a suitable prosthetic appliance.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for loss of use of a hand or foot as defined in VA regulations, and thus he is ineligible for financial assistance for automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment.
- Claimed conditions
- Traumatic brain injury, Hypertension with renal dysfunction, Headaches, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Bilateral hearing loss, Type II diabetes, Right and left lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, Tinnitus, Facial scars, Erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20068029
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor and finding that his PTSD is related to an in-service military sexual trauma (MST) during a period of ACDUTRA.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
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