The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to her service-connected disabilities, which include cervical spine degenerative disc disease, right shoulder instability, and upper extremity radiculopathy.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's inability to dress or undress herself, keep herself ordinarily clean and presentable, and feed herself through loss of coordination and weakness of the upper extremities is attributed to her service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Migraine headaches, Right glenohumeral joint instability with labral avulsion, status-post reconstruction, right shoulder, with atrophy and weakness, Right upper extremity radiculopathy, Left upper extremity radiculopathy, Bilateral tinnitus, Cervical spine degenerative disc disease, Residuals of a right ring finger fracture, Right ear drum puncture, Left breast cyst/scar, Psoriasis, Right shoulder scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 18, 2024
- Citation
- A24067239
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 granted earlier effective dates of November 5, 2021, for the grants of service connection and eligibility for DEA benefits.
- Dismissed
The appeal concerning the service connection for various conditions and the propriety of a rating reduction has been withdrawn by the Appellant.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a heart disability, granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and right knee osteochondritis dissecans, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear s/p ACL reconstruction, and denied an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder with generalized anxiety disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, as the evidence did not show that his service-connected disabilities alone were of such nature and severity to preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
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