The Board found that the appellant's claim for additional VA benefits for the veteran's estranged spouse prior to his death lacks legal merit or entitlement under the law, and thus denied the claim.
The deciding factor: VA law provides that pension shall be paid only if a veteran is permanently and totally disabled due to a nonservice-connected disability not resulting from willful misconduct. The appellant could not establish that the estranged spouse met these criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2001
- Citation
- 0125205
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0125205.
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).
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