The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death, and the Board lacks jurisdiction to proceed with the case.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died during the pendency of his appeal, making it impossible for the Board to make a decision on the merits.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of part of the skull
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19149890
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran has a current disability of the sinuses, loss of part of the skull, and an acquired psychiatric disorder that are secondary to his service-connected small cell carcinoma of the ethmoid sinuses and nasal cavity with headaches.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute substantially to his death from right lower lobe pneumonia and chronic renal insufficiency.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.