The Veteran was granted a special monthly compensation (SMC) based on entitlement to SMC(l) for being so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities, effective December 17, 2010.
The deciding factor: The evidence demonstrates that the Veteran's service-connected peripheral vascular disease manifested in an inability to dress or undress or to keep ordinarily clean and presentable independently.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity peripheral vascular disease, right lower extremity peripheral vascular disease, tinea cruris, groin area, diabetes mellitus type II, coronary artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, prostate cancer, scar, left index finger, scar, right index finger, erectile dysfunction, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- March 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25024917
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 an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
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