The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has determined that the appellant may not be recognized as the veteran's surviving spouse for VA purposes, and thus death pension benefits were properly terminated.
The deciding factor: The appellant and veteran did not meet the legal requirements to be considered a valid marriage under VA regulations due to the lack of one year prior to the veteran's death and no children born of this union.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2004
- Citation
- 0406960
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 0406960.
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
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.