The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the case, with no proper substitute filed.
The deciding factor: The Board cannot issue a decision on the underlying claim(s) at this time and must dismiss the appeal as there is no indication that VA received a request for substitution.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee, left knee
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 27, 2025
- Citation
- A25055769
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected left knee and right shoulder disabilities, along with compensation benefits awarded under 38 USC § 1151 for a right bicep detachment during shoulder surgery, prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment from December 22, 2011 to December 11, 2016.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for earlier effective dates and higher ratings for various conditions, including left eye condition, right eye condition, hypertension, left knee, right knee, obstructive sleep apnea, and coronary artery disease (CAD), as well as denied an earlier effective date for CAD.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a right leg disability, kidney cancer, including residuals, and bilateral knee disabilities as the evidence did not support that these conditions began during active service or are related to an in-service injury or disease.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for headaches, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, right knee, left knee, and right shoulder was dismissed due to the untimely filing of the Board Appeal request.
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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.