The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance/housebound status was denied as he is not in need of regular aid and attendance or housebound due to service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion determined that the Veteran's need for assistance was due to nonservice connected conditions, which greatly limited his functioning. The psychiatric disability rated at 100% did not meet the requirement for aid and attendance.
- Claimed conditions
- nerve condition, spinal damage, nerve damage, diabetes mellitus, spinal stenosis, memory impairment, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, dementia (presumed due to service-connected psychiatric disability), gout, cerebrovascular accident (stroke), gastrointestinal bleeding
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20079344
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 20079344.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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