The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because her Notice of Disagreement (NOD) did not clearly identify the specific issues she wanted to appeal, despite the Board's attempts at clarification.
The deciding factor: The Veteran failed to properly complete her NOD form and did not specify which decision(s) she disagreed with.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified anxiety disorder, right shoulder impingement syndrome, left and right upper extremity radiculopathy, cervical strain, degenerative disc disease with osteoarthritis, cervical spondylolisthesis, GERD, tension headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2020
- Citation
- A20019190
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 A20019190.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 remanded several issues, including service connection for stomach pain.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for unspecified anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding their etiology.
- Partly granted
The Board granted higher ratings for the Veteran's service-connected carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome of both upper extremities, but remanded claims for service connection for sinusitis, calcified lymph nodes on the lungs, and cervical strain.
- Dismissed
The appeals for restoration of ratings and for a higher disability rating were dismissed as the April 2025 rating decision did not make final decisions on these issues.
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