The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities, including right ankle sprains and muscle injury of the right leg. The decision affirms that the Veteran requires regular aid and assistance due to balance issues caused by both his service-connected conditions and non-service-connected vertigo.
The deciding factor: The Board found it not possible to differentiate if the Veteran's loss of balance was due to his service-connected ankle disability or a non-service-connected vertigo, thus considering all noted loss of balance symptoms as associated with the service-connected right ankle disability.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of injury to tibialis anterior muscle group XII of the right leg, right ankle sprains
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2023
- Citation
- 23066869
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 23066869.
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.
- Granted
The veteran's right and left ankle disabilities are rated at 20 percent due to marked limited motion.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left and right ankle disabilities, finding that they are related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board has denied the readjudication of claims for service connection for various ankle and elbow conditions, as well as left ear hearing loss. The evidence submitted did not meet the new and relevant criteria to reopen these previously denied claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance due to a lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives. The case is now pending for further development.
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