The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's need for regular aid and attendance was established based on his service-connected disabilities, including bilateral visual acuity of 20/200 or less in both eyes.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic heart disease, Nuclear sclerotic cataract, bilateral eyes, Chronic kidney disease, Obstructive sleep apnea, Diabetic peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity, Irritable bowel syndrome, Diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity, Scar of the head, face, or neck, Diabetes mellitus, Peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, Tinnitus, Bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- December 23, 2025
- Citation
- A25110188
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 896 · Granted: 51% (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 A25110188.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating of 30 percent prior to July 18, 2014, and a higher than 60 percent rating thereafter for ischemic heart disease is being remanded due to incomplete evidence. The examiner needs to provide more detailed information about the severity of his service-connected condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
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