The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the claimant may be recognized as the veteran's surviving spouse for VA purposes based on their common-law marriage and continuous cohabitation prior to the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows a valid common-law marriage, continuous cohabitation, and children born during the relationship. The Board found this sufficient to establish status as a surviving spouse for VA benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 17, 2001
- Citation
- 0119840
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 0119840.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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.