The veteran's appeal for a total rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is dismissed because the claim was moot after another decision granted a higher evaluation for their psychiatric disability.
The deciding factor: The earlier grant of a higher evaluation for the veteran's psychiatric disability made the original claim for a total rating based on unemployability moot.
- Claimed conditions
- psychiatric disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2000
- Citation
- 0033160
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 0033160.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a psychiatric disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically regarding the presumption of soundness at entrance into service.
- Denied
The Board denied higher initial disability ratings for the service-connected psychiatric disability and denied earlier effective dates for TDIU, SMC at the schedular housebound rate, and DEA benefits.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder disability, while remanding claims for bilateral plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis, psychiatric disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, and back disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 70 percent disability rating for the Veteran's psychiatric disability and also granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU), but denied an earlier effective date for service connection.
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