The appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal as it is no longer relevant.
The deciding factor: The appellant died during the pendency of the appeal, and therefore the Board lacks jurisdiction to proceed with the service connection claims.
- Claimed conditions
- right and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right and left carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis of the neck, left shoulder rotator cuff injury, disability of the feet, low back condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20004753
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and other benefits, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or additional compensation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of a low back condition to obtain an adequate medical opinion, as the presumption of soundness has not been rebutted.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a low back condition, finding that the Veteran's current disability had its clinical onset during his active duty service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a low back condition, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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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.