The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a lower extremity disability and special monthly compensation (SMC) due to loss of use of legs or feet, as these matters are inextricably intertwined with the issue of entitlement to purchase of an automobile with adaptive equipment. The Veteran should be scheduled for a VA examination to determine the nature, severity, and etiology of any bilateral lower extremity disabilities.
The deciding factor: The issues of service connection and SMC due to loss of use of legs or feet are inextricably intertwined with the issue of entitlement to purchase of an automobile with adaptive equipment. These matters must be remanded for further development.
- Claimed conditions
- lower extremity disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20074406
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 112 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20074406.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for back, hip, and lower extremity disabilities due to a lack of VA examination and outstanding treatment records. The Veteran's current diagnoses and lay statements will be considered in determining if his conditions are related to service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 10 percent disability rating for the service-connected scar, status-post appendectomy, but denied all other claims for increased ratings and service connection.
- Partly granted
The veteran's service connection for tinnitus, back disability, neck disability, and depression was granted. Other claims were remanded for further review.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected back and lower extremity disabilities resulted in the need for regular aid and attendance as of January 4, 2014. Effective from that date, he is entitled to special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance.
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