The appeal concerning the issues of service connection for lateral collateral ligament sprain, right and sensorineural hearing loss, right ear is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The Veteran passed away during the pendency of the appeal, thus the Board cannot issue a decision on the underlying claims at this time and must dismiss this appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- lateral collateral ligament sprain, right, sensorineural hearing loss, right ear
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2025
- Citation
- A25044254
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 etiological opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected sensorineural hearing loss was a contributory cause of death.
- Partly granted
The appeal was denied for an increased rating of tinnitus and remanded for further development on other service connection claims.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for a muscle condition and sensorineural hearing loss due to untimely Notice of Disagreement filings.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for sensorineural hearing loss and remanded the remaining claims for further development.
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.