The Board has restored the Veteran's special monthly compensation (SMC) for loss of use of the lower extremities, effective June 2, 2015. The issue of entitlement to a higher level of SMC in excess of housebound status is moot as restoration of SMC was granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show an actual improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under normal conditions of life and work that would justify reducing her SMC based on loss of use of both feet.
- Claimed conditions
- Loss of use of both feet, Paraplegia with loss of use of both legs and loss of anal and bladder sphincter control
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- May 25, 2022
- Citation
- 22030814
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 22030814.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a higher level of SMC and SMC based on loss of use of the lower extremities due to duty-to-assist errors, lack of sufficient medical evidence, and inextricably intertwined issues.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an effective date of June 26, 2015 for the award of service connection and SMC based on loss of use of both feet.
- Granted
The Veteran's SMC was granted at the intermediate level between 38 U.S.C. § 1114(m) and (n) due to additional disabilities including peripheral neuropathies, tinnitus, hearing loss, and lymphoma.
- Granted
The Board has granted effective dates of February 11, 2020 for service connection of loss of use of both hands and feet as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected Parkinson's disease.
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