The Board dismissed all petitions to reopen the previously denied claims for service connection due to the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The appeal was dismissed because the Veteran died during the pendency of the appeal, and thus the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension (HTN), brain tumor, kidney disease, memory loss, diabetes mellitus (DM), neurological disorder, coronary artery disease (CAD), loss of vision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20004002
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for panic disorder, OSA, and hypertension as secondary to a service-connected condition. The claim for diabetes mellitus was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for left foot bursitis and coronary artery disease, as well as special monthly compensation based on housebound status.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for cause of death to obtain a new medical opinion due to errors in previous examinations.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for kidney disease, mass on kidney, and thyroidectomy was withdrawn by the Veteran's attorney representative.
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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.