The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and TDIU have been dismissed due to the death of his surviving spouse.
The deciding factor: The appellant, who was accepted as the substitute claimant, passed away during the pendency of the appeal. As a result, the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of the appeal at this time.
- Claimed conditions
- Right knee total replacement, Left knee arthroscopic lateral meniscectomy with patellofemoral osteoarthritic changes
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2022
- Citation
- 22016068
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 22016068.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of January 25, 2022, for the award of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left knee joint osteoarthritis, and right knee total replacement.
- Granted
The Veteran's right knee total replacement is granted at a 60 percent evaluation, effective prior to August 11, 2022. A higher rating is denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted a 60 percent disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected right knee total replacement, effective October 1, 2017. The decision is based on chronic residuals consisting of severe painful motion and weakness.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development, including obtaining federal employee disability retirement records from OPM.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.