The Board finds that the appellant can be recognized as the veteran's surviving spouse based on a deemed valid marriage due to her continuous cohabitation with him, despite his prior legal marriage.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the appellant entered into a marriage with the veteran in 1950 and continuously cohabitated with him until his death, meeting the criteria for a deemed valid marriage under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 17, 2004
- Citation
- 0415587
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 0415587.
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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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.