The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
The deciding factor: The appeal cannot proceed as a matter of law due to the Veteran's death, and no one has requested substitution for the appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder, degenerative joint disease of the left knee, degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine, right and left foot pes planus, plantar fasciitis, morton's neuroma, and metatarsalgia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2025
- Citation
- A25052289
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 a medical opinion on whether plantar fasciitis was aggravated by active duty training.
- Dismissed
The claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for major depressive disorder is dismissed as moot because the earliest effective date was granted during the pendency of this appeal.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal and skin disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right and left hip degenerative arthritis as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right ankle and knee conditions, and major depressive disorder as secondary to his service-connected knee and ankle conditions. The Board also granted a 10 percent rating for allergic rhinitis.
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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.