The Veteran's appeals for service connection for residuals of shell fragment wounds to the right ear, chest, right shoulder, and back have been dismissed due to his death.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died in August 2012, which rendered moot all pending claims including those for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of shell fragment wounds to the right ear, residuals of shell fragment wounds to the chest, residuals of shell fragment wounds to the right shoulder, residuals of shell fragment wounds to the back
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 4, 2012
- Citation
- 1234556
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 1234556.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected residuals of shell fragment wounds to the back are rated as noncompensable under Diagnostic Code 7804. The Board finds that his scars do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating based on their size, stability, or symptoms.
- Granted
The Board has determined that service connection is warranted for the veteran's shell fragment wounds to the right shoulder and right thigh, as they cannot be clearly dissociated from his period of recognized military service.
- Denied
The Board found that there is no medical evidence of a disability of the legs which is a residual of a shell fragment wound. Therefore, the claim for service connection for residuals of shell fragment wounds to the legs was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including residuals of shell fragment wounds to the right shoulder, right leg and heel, and residuals of a laceration wound of the left thumb, prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful activity. The RO must determine if these conditions impact his employability.
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