The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death, and the Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.
The deciding factor: The veteran died during the pendency of his appeal, thus rendering the case moot.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatitis B and C, duodenal ulcer disease, status post cholecystectomy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2003
- Citation
- 0302455
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,377 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0302455.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied higher ratings for allergic rhinitis, hepatitis B and C, and chronic sinusitis but granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to August 1, 2025.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to a disability evaluation in excess of 10 percent for cirrhosis of the liver and status post cholecystectomy, a compensable disability evaluation for surgical scars associated with cirrhosis of the liver and status post cholecystectomy, and a compensable disability evaluation, including whether the reduction from 10 percent to 0 percent effective March 1, 2015, was proper, for service-connected pseudofolliculitis barbae.
- Denied
The Board denied compensation for additional disability due to treatment at a VA medical facility in September 2022, as the proximate cause of the gallbladder and liver injuries was not due to carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or an event not reasonably foreseeable.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial claim for hepatitis C with cirrhosis of the liver, steatosis/fatty liver and status post cholecystectomy was granted with a 10% rating effective May 21, 2008. The appeal sought higher ratings for this condition prior to October 1, 2011, from October 1, 2011 to March 31, 2011, and since March 31, 2011. The Board denied these claims as the criteria for a higher rating were not met.
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