The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
The deciding factor: The appeal was dismissed as a matter of law due to the Veteran's death, and no decision could be issued on the underlying claims at that time.
- Claimed conditions
- shortness of breath, ringing of the ears
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25024820
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a chronic undiagnosed illness manifested by bilateral leg pain, bilateral hand tremors, sinus problems, shortness of breath and recurrent transient ear noise due to Gulf War service. Service connection was denied for CFS.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for multiple conditions due to a need for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions considering all toxic exposure risk activities (TERAs) under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act of 2022.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right and left ankle disabilities, a skin rash, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, shortness of breath, PTSD, OSA, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, knee disabilities, CPS, and earlier effective dates.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of January 19, 2021, for the award of service connection for shortness of breath.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.