The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a higher level of special monthly compensation (SMC) at the rate specified under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(r), finding that he did not meet the criteria for SMC based on his service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities due to ALS, but these did not meet the specific criteria for SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(r)(1) or (r)(2).
- Claimed conditions
- difficulty swallowing, shortness of breath due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), weakness of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to ALS, head drop due to ALS, weakness of the trunk due to ALS
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 6, 2022
- Citation
- 22026975
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 22026975.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board granted a 30 percent disability rating for hypothyroidism and earlier effective dates for the award of service connection for difficulty swallowing and special monthly compensation, but dismissed the issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a stroke, difficulty swallowing, vision disability, bilateral foot drop, memory loss, mental confusion, severe headaches, dizziness, slurred speech, and non-toxic thyroid enlargement as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for sleep apnea, onychomycosis, xerosis, and difficulty swallowing to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss and remanded several issues related to interstitial lung disease, psychiatric disability, fatigue, vertigo, muscle disability, Raynaud's phenomenon, gastrointestinal disability, difficulty swallowing, headache, skin disability, blurred vision, upper respiratory symptoms, and vertigo as secondary conditions.
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