The Board has determined that the appellant's deceased spouse did not have qualifying active service for purposes of the appellant's entitlement to VA non-service connected death pension benefits, and thus the appellant does not have legal entitlement to these benefits.
The deciding factor: The appellant's deceased spouse had recognized guerrilla service but no active military service. The Board found that this did not constitute active military service for purposes of establishing eligibility for non-service-connected death pension benefits.
- 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
- November 6, 2002
- Citation
- 0215880
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 0215880.
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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