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Dismissed

The Board has dismissed the appeals for all issues related to diabetic neuropathy of the face and mouth involving different cranial nerves, as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The deciding factor: The Veteran's death rendered the claims moot due to the absence of a living appellant who could continue the appeal.

Claimed conditions
right side diabetic neuropathy of the face and mount with fifth (trigeminal) cranial nerve involvement, left side diabetic neuropathy of the face and mouth with fifth (trigeminal) cranial nerve involvement, right side diabetic neuropathy of the face and mouth with twelfth (hypoglossal) cranial nerve involvement, left side diabetic neuropathy of the face and mouth with twelfth (hypoglossal) cranial nerve involvement, right side diabetic neuropathy of the face and mouth with seventh (facial) cranial nerve involvement, left side diabetic neuropathy of the face and mouth with seventh (facial) cranial nerve involvement
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
December 8, 2021
Citation
21073384

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 21073384.

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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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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