All appeals concerning service connection for various conditions have been dismissed due to the invalidity of the initial Notice of Disagreement submitted by the Veteran's surviving spouse before substitution was approved.
The deciding factor: The appeal is dismissed because the initial Notice of Disagreement was filed by the Veteran's surviving spouse before substitution was granted, making it invalid.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle osteoarthritis, right foot osteoarthritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), prostate disability, neck osteoarthritis, hypertension, left shoulder osteoarthritis, lumbar spine arthritis, stenosis and facet arthropathy (compression fracture), right knee osteoarthritis, left leg hip osteoarthritis, left hand osteoarthritis, vertigo, depression and insomnia, left ankle osteoarthritis, coronary artery disease (also claimed as ischemic heart disease and open heart surgery), inguinal hernia repair, right ear hearing loss, bilateral foot condition (claimed as foot pain), right leg hip osteoarthritis, left knee osteoarthritis, right shoulder osteoarthritis, unspecified neurocognitive disorder (also claimed as memory loss, memory impairment and insomnia), right hand osteoarthritis, dementia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 9, 2026
- Citation
- A26011795
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 A26011795.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 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 Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has expanded the scope of the claim for major depression to encompass any mental health disability raised by the record and has remanded six issues for additional development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
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