The Veteran's claim for a certificate of eligibility for financial assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing and an earlier effective date for SMC at the housebound rate has been denied. The Veteran does not meet the specific legal criteria required to establish eligibility for these benefits.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in loss or loss of use of any lower extremity or upper extremity, and she is not entitled to specially adapted housing based on her service-connected disabilities alone. The claim for an earlier effective date for SMC at the housebound rate was denied as there is no evidence showing that the Veteran was housebound before October 16, 2020.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with unspecified depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder in sustained remission, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Asthma, Bilateral Flatfoot, Migraines associated with TBI, Right Upper Extremity Radiculopathy with Right Median Nerve Palsy at the thumb associated with a cervical spine disability, Left Upper Extremity Radiculopathy associated with a cervical spine disability, Cervical Spine Degenerative Arthritis with Intervertebral Disc Syndrome, Right Wrist Strain, Dominant, Left Wrist Strain, Non-Dominant, Status post left knee arthroscopy, Bilateral Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ), TBI, Painful scar of the left scalp status post TBI, Right Knee Arthritis (Chondromalacia patella), Old chalazion, left upper lid, Left Knee Scars, Allergic Rhinitis, Left Scalp Scar status post TBI
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- February 9, 2026
- Citation
- A26012050
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 A26012050.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's allergic rhinitis is currently rated as 10 percent disabling prior to September 16, 2024 and noncompensable thereafter. The Board found the evidence against finding that his condition met the criteria for a higher rating.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its residuals, including unsteady gait, somnolence, and cognitive dysfunction. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible lay statements about in-service head injuries and subsequent seizures.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's eligibility for the VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is being remanded because the decision was based on incomplete medical evidence and did not consider all available records.
- Denied
The Veteran's asthma is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, and the Board finds that this rating adequately compensates his service-connected condition.
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