The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal. The issues concerning effective dates and disability ratings are not addressed as they were not decided.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died while the appeal was pending, which automatically dismisses the appeal under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity diabetic neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 27, 2026
- Citation
- A26039133
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 A26039133.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 granted service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and left and right lower extremity diabetic neuropathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected type II diabetes mellitus.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right lower extremity diabetic neuropathy as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity diabetic neuropathy is rated at 20 percent, effective June 24, 2015.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for left and right lower extremity diabetic neuropathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.
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