The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal. The Board cannot issue a decision on the underlying claim(s) at this time.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died while the appeal was pending, and per 38 C.F.R. § 20.1302(a), the criteria for dismissal have been met.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle strain, left knee strain, right ankle strain, right knee strain, anxiety, cognitive deficits, headaches, hearing loss, hypertension, neurobehavioral deficits, residuals of heat exhaustion, residuals of tuberculosis exposure
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2026
- Citation
- A26011355
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A26011355.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and will provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
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