The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on need for regular aid and attendance or housebound status has been denied as he is not in need of the regular aid and attendance of another person and is not housebound due to service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's psychiatric disability, skin condition, and scar do not render him so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance. The legal blindness due to glaucoma results in his need for assistance.
- Claimed conditions
- Psychiatric disability, Plantar keratotic lesion and calluses, Left ring finger scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2026
- Citation
- A26005734
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A26005734.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's motion to revise the May 2013 rating decision that denied a TDIU, finding no clear and unmistakable error.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's psychiatric disability is currently rated at 30 percent, which is the lowest possible rating under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. The Board found that his symptoms did not warrant a higher rating as they were intermittent and did not significantly impair his occupational or social functioning.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of his psychiatric disability was the initial decision, and thus attorney fees are not eligible based on past due benefits awarded in April 2025.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability has been rated at 100 percent, and he is already receiving special monthly compensation (SMC) under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s). Therefore, there remains no issue for the Board to resolve regarding entitlement to Total Disability due to Individual Unemployability (TDIU).
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