The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for financial assistance for automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment, or adaptive equipment only due to his remaining functional use of his feet.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not indicate a permanent loss of use of one or both feet as required by the eligibility criteria for financial assistance under 38 U.S.C. § 3901 and 38 C.F.R. § 3.808.
- Claimed conditions
- throat cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obstructive sleep apnea, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with spinal stenosis, status post lumbar laminectomy, decompression L3-L4, and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves, post traumatic arthritis, right ankle with history of bimalleolar fractures involving the right ankle, status post open reduction and internal fixation and removal of implants, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, dermoid cyst, surgical scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 12, 2026
- Citation
- A26013192
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 A26013192.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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