The Board denied the claim as the appellant was not married to the veteran at the time of his death, and therefore cannot be considered his surviving spouse.
The deciding factor: Recognition as a surviving spouse requires being married to the veteran at the time of his death. The appellant had been divorced from the veteran by that point.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 21, 2006
- Citation
- 0621588
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 0621588.
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
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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.