The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died during the pendency of the appeal, and therefore the Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the neck
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2016
- Citation
- 1606013
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 1606013.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 connection claims for squamous cell carcinoma of the neck and bad teeth with dry mouth as secondary to squamous cell carcinoma of the neck have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service, including presumed herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for larynx cancer and squamous cell carcinoma of the neck, finding no evidence linking these conditions to military service or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the neck, tonsil, lymph nodes, larynx, and tongue as there is no current diagnosis or evidence linking these conditions to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA opinion regarding service connection for larynx cancer, including squamous cell carcinoma of the neck. The Veteran's claim will be reviewed by a qualified examiner who must provide an updated opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that the cancer is related to service, specifically herbicide exposure.
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