The Veteran's claim for SMC prior to December 4, 2014 was denied as his service-connected knee disabilities did not meet the criteria for SMC.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities alone did not render him unable to care for his daily personal needs or to protect himself from the hazards and dangers incident to his daily environment without the assistance of another person, even though he was permanently bedridden due to these disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee disabilities, depressive disorder, degenerative disc disease with neuroforaminal stenosis of the lumbar spine, left ankle degenerative joint disease, right ankle degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- June 13, 2022
- Citation
- 22034336
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 22034336.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's vascular headaches are granted effective August 22, 2011. A TDIU is granted effective February 11, 2015. SMC based on housebound criteria is denied prior to July 14, 2020.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 100% rating for depressive disorder, effective August 1, 2020, as the reduction was improper and did not comply with applicable regulations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, including unspecified anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, kleptomania, and PTSD is being remanded due to the AOJ's failure to obtain medical records from his periods of incarceration or a medical opinion regarding his diagnoses.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted service connection for migraine headaches effective August 10, 2022.,The Veteran was granted service connection for depressive disorder effective April 11, 2024.
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