The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant died during the pendency of the case.
The deciding factor: The appellant died, and therefore the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- liver cirrhosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20070594
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, considering potential in-service toxic exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for liver cirrhosis to obtain outstanding medical records and further develop evidence of exposure to benzene during the Veteran's service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, liver cirrhosis, interstitial cystitis, liver cancer, and sleep apnea as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to active service.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for liver cirrhosis was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
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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.