The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation based on a statutory housebound basis due to his service-connected psychiatric disability.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability alone rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, meeting the criteria for TDIU and SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114 (s).
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified depressive disorder, headaches, chronic lumbar strain, right upper extremity (40%), degenerative disc disease, left upper extremity (30%), chronic tendinosis acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, lumbar radiculopathy in the sciatic nerve of the left lower extremity, lumbar radiculopathy in the sciatic nerve of the right lower extremity, lumbar radiculopathy in the femoral nerve of the left lower extremity, lumbar radiculopathy in the femoral nerve of the right lower extremity, pseudofolliculitis barbae (10%), gastroenteritis (10%), right shoulder scars, erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2024
- Citation
- 24032146
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,913 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24032146.
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 Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and will provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
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