The veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 20 percent for his gunshot wound to the chest has been dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.
The deciding factor: The veteran died during the pendency of his appeal, making the claim moot.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a gunshot wound to the chest
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 22, 2003
- Citation
- 0307610
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 734 · Granted: 9% (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 0307610.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found no evidence of current residuals from a gunshot wound to the chest incurred during service, and denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The veteran's claim for a TDIU is being remanded due to the need for additional information and evidence regarding his service-connected disabilities and their impact on his employability.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for dysphagia as secondary to the veteran's service-connected residuals of a gunshot wound to the chest. The rating assigned is noncompensable (0 percent).
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has ordered further development due to pending issues regarding service connection for dysphagia and a compensable disability rating for the gunshot wound to the chest. The case is being remanded back to the RO for additional examination and evaluation.
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