The appeal for service connection and ratings for various radiculopathy conditions is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The appellant died before a decision was made by the Board on the appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- right and left upper extremity radiculopathy, thoracic compression fracture, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2021
- Citation
- 21010074
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 21010074.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 appellant's claims for survivor's pension, DIC benefits, and accrued benefits. The decision found that her income exceeded the maximum annual pension rate (MAPR), did not establish a service-connected disability as the cause of death, and dismissed the claim for accrued benefits due to her status as a substitute appellant.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment since May 15, 2017.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's application for PCAFC eligibility was denied due to the CEAT finding that he did not require personal care services based on his service-connected conditions. The Board has ordered remand to obtain an adequate medical opinion from the CEAT regarding the Veteran's need for personal care and supervision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding personal care services and supervision needed by the Veteran for eligibility in the PCAFC program.
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