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Are You Familiar With SMC9t Compensation?

By Dennis Pickering
April 26, 2018                    

         

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides benefits for veterans who do not qualify for special monthly compensation (SMC) under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(r)(2) (called SMC r-2) but who, due to service-connected Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), need daily help from others without which they would need institutional care. This new benefit is called SMC(9t) because the requirements are contained in 38 U.S.C. § 1114(t). 

   

  

  

  

  

   

  

   

  

   

  

 

                        

Effective October 1, 2011, veterans with service-connected TBI who meet the following requirements are eligible for SMC9t:

   

  • The veteran needs regular air and maintenance (A & A) (SMC(I)) for residuals of TBI (a veteran who needs regular and attendance from another to perform the personal functions of daily living is eligible to receive the regular aid and attendance benefit, which is also called SMC(I)), and
  • The veteran is not eligible for the higher level of A & A under U.S.C. § 1114(r)(2), and
  • The veteran would require hospitalization, nursing home care, or other residential institutional care in the absence of regular in-home aid and attendance

  

If you believe you are a candidate for SMC9t compensation it would be prudent to see your VSO for more details or call your local Veterans Affairs Regional Office (VARO) for assistance.

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