Your appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The Board does not have jurisdiction to decide your claim as it is no longer pending.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died during the pendency of his appeal, and therefore the Board lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of the case.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic stress disorder, Alcohol use disorder, Cocaine use disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2021
- Citation
- A21019184
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 A21019184.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 Veteran's request for reentrance into a VR&E program and retroactive induction for restoration of Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill) educational assistance benefits, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not worsen to the extent that he was precluded from performing the work duties of the occupation for which he previously was found rehabilitated.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's requests for an effective date prior to June 3, 2020 for the grants of service connection for PTSD and tinnitus. The decision states that VA did not receive an ITF in September 2019 as claimed by the Veteran or her representative, and thus no earlier effective date can be granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for major depressive disorder was denied, and her request for an increased rating for PTSD was also denied. The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, particularly PTSD. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions and related stressors.
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