The appeal concerning special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate prior to October 31, 2019 is being remanded for further adjudication. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered by the RO in accordance with a July 2020 memorandum decision from the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC).
The deciding factor: The CAVC directed the Board to remand the matter for the RO to properly consider the Veteran’s March 2013 Notice of Disagreement and entitlement to SMC.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Left Chest Shrapnel Wounds with Muscle Atrophy in Muscle Group IV, Left Upper Extremity Limitation of Motion
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 15, 2021
- Citation
- 21014678
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 21014678.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to a verified in-service stressor, and the positive and negative medical evidence is at least in equipoise.
- Granted
Your claim for a higher rating and service connection for PTSD has been granted. The new evidence supports reopening your case.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's asthma was rated at 30% from May 4, 2011, to August 27, 2019. The rating was increased to 60% on September 25, 2019, and then to 100% effective that same day.,The Veteran is granted SMC at the housebound rate from December 7, 2018, to September 24, 2019.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete service personnel records, which are necessary to determine if the appellant's National Guard service was 'federalized' (i.e., Title 10 or Title 32 service).
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