The Board has determined that the appellant is entitled to recognition as the veteran's surviving spouse for VA death benefits purposes, given her legal status at the time of his death and her consistent assertions of spousal abuse.
The deciding factor: The appellant was deemed to be the veteran's legally married spouse at the time of his death, despite a prior divorce judgment being set aside as void. Her claims of spousal abuse were corroborated by multiple arrest warrants issued for the veteran and evidence of hospitalization due to her injuries from his abuse.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 8, 2006
- Citation
- 0628216
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 0628216.
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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