The Board denied the Veteran's claim for additional rate of special monthly compensation (SMC) based on loss of use of hands and feet, as there was no evidence that her functioning in these areas were so diminished as to be equally well served by amputation with a prosthesis.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations found normal strength in both hands and the Veteran was able to ambulate using assistive devices. The evidence did not show that the Veteran's hands and feet would be equally well served by an amputation with a prosthesis.
- Claimed conditions
- Left- and right-hand strain, Polyarthritis, Systemic lupus erythematosus, Fibromyalgia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25036050
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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