The appeal was dismissed due to a procedural defect related to the submission of the Notice of Disagreement by the Claimant prior to approval of her request for substitution as claimant following the Veteran's death.

The deciding factor: The January 2025 VA Form 10182 was not valid because it was submitted before the Claimant's request for substitution was approved, and an appeal cannot be properly initiated until after such a determination is made.

Claimed conditions

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with pulmonary emboli, status post complication of cryosurgery, sciatic peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity, femoral nerve peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity, femoral nerve peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity, sciatic peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with unspecified neurocognitive disorder

How they argued it

Not specified

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

December 17, 2025

Citation

A25109165

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine