The Board denied the appellant's claim for dependency and indemnity compensation because she was not married to the veteran at the time of his death, which is a requirement under VA regulations.
The deciding factor: The appellant and the veteran were divorced in May 1991, and they were not married at the time of the veteran's death in May 2001. As per VA regulations, a surviving spouse must have been married to the veteran at the time of his death to be eligible for DIC 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
- January 28, 2002
- Citation
- 0200950
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 0200950.
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.