The Board determined that the appellant is not the surviving spouse of the veteran for purposes of entitlement to VA benefits, as her marriage was terminated by a divorce decree in Washington state, which she argued was invalid due to lack of proper service. The court subsequently vacated this decree.
The deciding factor: The court found that the appellant's marriage to the veteran had been dissolved by a valid divorce decree entered in Washington state, but the appellant contested its validity on grounds of improper service and misconduct.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 17, 2002
- Citation
- 0212258
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 0212258.
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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