The Board has dismissed all appeals related to service connection for various conditions, including kidney cancer, lung cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, and peripheral neuropathy, due to the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died during the pendency of his appeal, making the claims moot.
- Claimed conditions
- kidney cancer, lung cancer, diabetes mellitus, type II, peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2020
- Citation
- 20069224
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- 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.
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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.