Board of Veterans' Appeals: Rules of PracticeDeath of Appellant During Pendency of Appeal

This document amends the Rules of Practice of the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board)--part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)--relating to circumstances which arise when an appellant dies while an appeal is pending before the Board. These amendments provide that when an appellant dies while an appeal is pending, the appeal will be dismissed, and eliminate a provision which permitted a deceased appellant's representative to continue to act with respect to any appeal pending upon the death of the appellant. These changes are necessary because of a ruling made by the United States Court of Veterans Appeals.