The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection of arteriosclerotic heart disease and left knee degenerative joint disease, as well as his request for a higher disability evaluation for left knee arthritis. The character of discharge from his second term of service was found to be a bar to VA benefits.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the appellant's dishonorable discharge barred him from receiving VA compensation benefits during his period of dishonorable service, and thus any heart disease or arthritis incurred during this time could not be service-connected.
- Claimed conditions
- Arteriosclerotic heart disease, Left knee degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 23, 2010
- Citation
- 1044025
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1044025.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease is rated at 100% effective October 25, 2024. His prostate cancer residuals are rated at 60% effective October 25, 2024.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance travel expenses incurred on June 17, 2025 due to an emergency heart attack. The ambulance service was provided by a volunteer organization and later intercepted by a higher-tier EMT company.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right knee disabilities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee degenerative joint disease.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted a TDIU effective June 10, 2020 and an SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ effective June 10, 2021. The Veteran's service-connected conditions have prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since June 10, 2020.
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