The Veteran's appeal for service connection of degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died during the appeal process, which resulted in the Board having no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2012
- Citation
- 1242541
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 1242541.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a labral tear and cartilage defect of the left shoulder, DDD of the lumbar spine, and SI joint dysfunction due to the Veteran's service-connected low back disability. The decision is based on the current disabilities being causally related to injuries sustained during service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a bilateral hip disorder, manifested by pain and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine. The claim for a hand disorder was denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several conditions, including diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy, but denied increased ratings for intervertebral disc syndrome and other conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a bilateral knee disability and denied increased ratings for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity prior to June 7, 2024. The appeal was remanded for other issues.
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