The Veteran is granted an effective date of August 21, 2019 for SMC based on aid and attendance due to his service-connected bilateral upper extremity disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the award of SMC was based primarily on the Veteran's service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, which were assigned an effective date of August 21, 2019.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- October 11, 2023
- Citation
- A23028131
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 A23028131.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating higher than 10 percent for tinnitus and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, but granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for service connection for right knee, left knee, and low back disabilities were reopened due to new evidence. Service connection was granted for diabetic retinopathy, left ventricular hypertrophy, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, right knee disability, left knee disability, and low back disability. The claim for a bilateral eye disability other than diabetic retinopathy and a heart disability other than left ventricular hypertrophy was remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities as secondary to diabetes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an error in not verifying the Veteran's reported exposure to herbicide agents, specifically Agent Orange. The issues of service connection for diabetes mellitus and diabetic peripheral neuropathy are now before the AOJ.
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