The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal, and thus has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this case.
The deciding factor: The appellant's death made it impossible for the Board to make a decision on the merits of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- fracture of the left fifth finger, dislocation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20074823
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
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- Remanded (sent back)
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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.