The appeal for VA compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 has been dismissed due to the appellant's death.
The deciding factor: The appellant died during the pendency of the appeal, and as a matter of law, appellants' claims do not survive their deaths.
- Claimed conditions
- advanced glaucoma, pseudophakia, retinal detachment
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19195414
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,071 · Granted: 26% (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 19195414.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 case due to duty-to-assist errors, including failing to obtain SSA records and VA medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's left eye disability is secondary to his service-connected hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral eye condition, which is presumed to be related to service. The Veteran seeks service connection for glaucoma and pseudophakia, but the VA examiners' opinions are deemed inadequate.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for an eye condition, including nonexudative age-related macular degeneration and pseudophakia, due to exposure to environmental toxins during his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error and will need to obtain additional private treatment records related to the Veteran's eye disabilities.
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