The Veteran's appeal for service connection for degenerative changes of the lumbar spine has been dismissed due to his death.
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 this claim.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative changes of lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19158419
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 19158419.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 nonservice-connected disabilities do not prevent her from following a substantially gainful occupation, and she is therefore denied entitlement to a nonservice-connected pension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran seeks service connection for his back injuries, which the Board has remanded due to incomplete medical records and need for a VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a low back condition, finding no evidence of chronic disability in service or within one year after separation and no competent medical evidence linking the current condition to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to procedural issues and the need for additional development, including medical examinations.
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