The Board has dismissed the appeals regarding service connection for a left ankle sprain and a rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee degenerative arthritis due to the death of the appellant.
The deciding factor: The appeal was dismissed because the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal, thus the Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of the case.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle sprain, left knee degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19143026
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 granted service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis and a rating of 30 percent for left knee joint instability, while remanding other issues.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left shoulder strain and left ankle sprain, finding that the evidence was in approximate balance showing injuries during active duty training (ADT) from August 12, 2023 to August 25, 2023.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and right knee osteoarthritis, but denied service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis, right hand degenerative arthritis, left hand degenerative arthritis, left shoulder subdeltoid bursitis (claimed as degenerative arthritis), right shoulder strain (claimed as degenerative arthritis), major depressive disorder, and an anxiety disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypogonadism with fatigue, GERD, and a right ear hearing loss disability. The Veteran's left rib disability was denied, and the ratings for his left shoulder injury, left hip bursitis, impairment of the left thigh, left knee retropatellar pain syndrome limitation of extension, and left ankle sprain were either granted or denied with specific rating percentages.
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