The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died during the pendency of the appeal, and as a result, the Board must dismiss the appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (claimed as esophageal cancer), swallowing condition, oral condition, tremors, carotid sensors, right shoulder condition, thyroid condition
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2025
- Citation
- A25037000
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeal requests for service connection and increased ratings were denied due to untimeliness, as the appeals were not filed within one year of the respective rating decisions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for back, left wrist, left and right knee, and left and right shoulder conditions due to missing personnel records and an inadequate VA medical opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for multiple conditions, including left and right leg, arm, knee, shoulder, kidney, plantar fasciitis, and back conditions, as further development is needed to address pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left shoulder conditions as new and relevant evidence was not submitted since the April 2005 rating decision.
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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.