The Board found that the appellant's period of service from February 1966 to October 1970 constituted a bar to VA compensation benefits due to his discharge under dishonorable conditions. The prostate cancer was not incurred or aggravated during this period and is therefore not service-connected.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the appellant's prolonged absence without leave (AWOL) for over 295 days, coupled with other offenses committed during his second term of service, constituted willful and persistent misconduct. This resulted in a discharge under dishonorable conditions which barred him from VA benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- cancer of the prostate
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2007
- Citation
- 0716445
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 0716445.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied reopening the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to lack of new and material evidence, as the submitted evidence was either cumulative or redundant.
- Granted
The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, and the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions likely preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease, which is service-connected, contributed to his death. Therefore, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a disability for which service connection had been established at the time of death or for which service connection should have been established, and denied the claims.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.