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Denied

The VA determined that the appellant is not entitled to benefits as the veteran's surviving spouse because she was divorced from the veteran at the time of his death.

The deciding factor: The divorce decree entered in March 1991 by the Seventh Judicial District of New Mexico is considered valid, and there is no indication of a court modifying or voiding this decree. The appellant did not appear for the proceedings and signed the documents on behalf of her husband.

Claimed conditions
Not specified in this decision
How they argued it
Not specified
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
August 19, 2004
Citation
0422832

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 0422832.

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