The Board found that the appellant and the veteran did not have a valid common law marriage, thus she is not entitled to recognition as the surviving spouse of the veteran for purposes of VA death benefits.
The deciding factor: The appellant and the veteran were divorced in June 1991 but did not have a present intention or mutual agreement to be married between their divorce and the veteran's death in September 1997, failing to meet the requirements for a deemed valid common law marriage.
- 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 10, 2006
- Citation
- 0624113
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 0624113.
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.