Source: https://va-claim.com/2018/10/27/entitlement-to-withheld-benefits-due-and-payable-to-the-veterans-estate-deceased-dismissed-citation-nr-1829781/
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 08:43:56+00:00

Document:
Entitlement to withheld benefits due and payable to the Veteran's estate.
The Veteran served on active duty from August 1943 to January 1946.  She died in August 2003.
This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a June 2008 administrative decision of the Cleveland, Ohio, Regional Office (RO) of the Department of Veteran's Affairs.
In August 2018, the Board was notified that the appellant died in November 2015.
Due to the death of the appellant, the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal at this time.  38 U.S.C. § 7104(a) (2012); 38 C.F.R. § 20.1302 (2017).
Unfortunately, the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal.  As a matter of law, appellants' claims do not survive their deaths.  Zevalkink v. Brown, 102 F.3d 1236, 1243-44 (Fed. Cir. 1996); Smith v. Brown, 10 Vet. App. 330, 333-34 (1997); Landicho v. Brown, 7 Vet. App. 42, 47 (1994).  This appeal on the merits has become moot by virtue of the death of the appellant and must be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.  See 38 U.S.C. § 7104(a) (2012); 38 C.F.R. § 20.1302 (2017).
The Board's dismissal of this appeal does not affect the right of an eligible person to file a request to be substituted as the appellant for purposes of processing the claim to completion.  Such request must be filed not later than one year after the date of the appellant's death.  See 38 U.S.C. § 5121A (2012); 38 C.F.R. § 3.1010(b) (2017).  A person eligible for substitution includes "a living person who would be eligible to receive accrued benefits due to the claimant under section 5121(a) of this title ...."  38 U.S.C. § 5121A (2012); see 38 C.F.R. § 3.1010(a) (2017).  An eligible party seeking substitution in an appeal that has been dismissed by the Board due to the death of the claimant should file a request for substitution with the VA office from which the claim originated (listed on the first page of this decision).  38 C.F.R. § 3.1010(b) (2017).
The appeal as to entitlement to withheld benefits due and payable to the Veteran's estate is dismissed.

References: § 7104
 § 20
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 § 7104
 § 20
 § 5121
 § 3
 § 5121
 § 3
 § 3