The Veteran's service-connected low back with bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy and right hip disabilities render him in need of the regular aid and attendance of another person, meeting the criteria for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected conditions require the regular aid and attendance of another person due to their impact on his daily environment.
- Claimed conditions
- low back with bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, right hip disabilities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- February 19, 2026
- Citation
- A26015484
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 A26015484.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected TBI, headaches, and right hip disabilities have rendered him unable to engage in substantially gainful employment due to their combined impact on his ability to work. The Board has granted a total disability evaluation based upon individual unemployability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to the Veteran's refusal of examinations and incomplete addendum opinions. The VA needs to obtain an adequate nexus opinion regarding whether the Veteran's thoracolumbar disability is related to service, including his in-service injury and post-service symptoms.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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