The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for service connection of ischemic cardiomyopathy is dismissed due to the death of the Veteran. The Board has no jurisdiction over this matter as it must be referred to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) for further action.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died during the pendency of his appeal, and the appeal cannot proceed without a timely substitution request from the surviving spouse.
- Claimed conditions
- ischemic cardiomyopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19194567
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,592 · Granted: 19% (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 19194567.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, and requests medical opinions on the etiology of his coronary artery disease, GERD with dyspepsia, and upper respiratory infection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty-to-assist error regarding the Veteran's exposure to asbestos and Agent Orange during service. The claims are now pending for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's ischemic cardiomyopathy was granted service connection as it met the definition of ischemic heart disease (IHD) listed in VA regulations, and he had this condition at the time his application for benefits was filed.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to active military service and exposure to toxins.
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