The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his left mandible disability has been dismissed due to the appellant's death. The Board does not have jurisdiction to proceed with this matter.
The deciding factor: The appellant died during the pendency of the appeal, and therefore the Board lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- left mandible disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2024
- Citation
- 24002119
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 291 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24002119.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's service-connected left mandible disability due to an inadequate examination and the need for a new VA Oral and Dental medical opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete VA treatment records, specifically dental treatment. The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for their left mandible disability is now pending and will be reconsidered.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left mandible disability, including whether it is related to service. The Veteran will be provided another opportunity to provide private or VA treatment records and a new VA examination will be scheduled.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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