The Board has dismissed the appeals for a compensable rating for degenerative changes of the right hand and service connection for occipital headaches (claimed as headaches occurring from neuropathy) due to the death of the appellant.
The deciding factor: The appeal was dismissed due to the death of the appellant, which resulted in lack of jurisdiction for the Board to adjudicate the merits of the appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative changes of the right hand, occipital headaches
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20000807
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 50 percent rating for occipital headaches, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for degenerative changes of both hands, as the medical evidence did not show more than slight impairment of the muscles involved in the extension of the wrist, fingers, and thumb, as well as the abduction of the thumb.
- Remanded (sent back)
The case was remanded to schedule a hearing for the veteran regarding his claim for additional vocational rehabilitation training.
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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.