The Veteran's service-connected bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy has resulted in a condition that renders him eligible for financial assistance and special monthly compensation based on loss of use.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s bilateral lower extremities disability, caused by his service-connected spinal and nerve injuries, results in functional impairment without effective function beyond what amputation with prosthesis would provide.
- Claimed conditions
- Loss of use of bilateral lower extremities, Neurogenic bladder disease, Neurogenic bowel condition
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- December 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20079987
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,446 · Granted: 21% (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 20079987.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted an effective date of August 3, 2021 for the award of special monthly compensation (SMC) at the (r)(1) rate based on the Veteran's need for aid and attendance due to his disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in notification and medical evaluation, as well as a need for an updated medical opinion regarding personal care services needs.
- Granted
The Veteran's adult child, K.M.G., is awarded an effective date of September 27, 2012, for additional dependency compensation due to the establishment of a rating in the percentage specified by law for that purpose.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional development regarding whether the Veteran's impairment of bilateral lower extremities constitutes 'loss of use' as defined by VA regulations. The remand requires obtaining a medical opinion on the level of functional impairment and comparing it to what would be achieved with amputation stumps at the site of election below the knees with suitable prosthetic appliances.
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