The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's death, and no service connection was granted or denied.
The deciding factor: The appellant died during the pendency of the appeal, thus the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal at this time.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral foot disability with arthritis, bilateral hand disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19164848
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,035 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19164848.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are remanded due to procedural errors in the adjudication process. The claims will be reconsidered with additional evidence and a thorough review of all relevant medical records.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hand disability, including exertional paresthesias and carpal tunnel syndrome, is granted as service-connected. The decision also remands the issue of service connection for diabetes mellitus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a bilateral hand disability, an initial rating in excess of 40 percent for TBI with migraine, and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the listed conditions have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of those claims at a hearing before the Board.
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