The Board found that the appellant is not entitled to recognition as the surviving spouse of the veteran for VA benefit purposes due to a separation caused by her misconduct, and did not find continuous cohabitation from the date of marriage to the date of death.
The deciding factor: The separation was primarily due to the appellant's extramarital affair with the veteran's younger brother, which led to the termination of their relationship in April 1965.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 22, 2001
- Citation
- 0114335
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 0114335.
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
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.