The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no service connection issues were decided.
The deciding factor: The appellant died during the pendency of the appeal, making it impossible for the Board to adjudicate the merits of the case.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder, Hepatitis C
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20073314
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 new VA addendum opinion to determine if the Veteran's liver cancer and hepatitis C are related to his active service, including exposure to agent orange.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several conditions, including lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves, with effective dates from March 15, 2013. The Board also granted a TDIU and DEA based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, and hepatitis C as there was no evidence of functional impairment sufficient to warrant a higher rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, and remanded the claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a right shoulder disability, a right knee disability, and headaches due to insufficient evidence.
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