The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as the surviving spouse of the veteran for VA benefits, finding that a common law marriage did not exist between them and thus she is not entitled to such status.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of evidence showed that the veteran had no intention to be married to the appellant and did not hold himself out to be her husband within Texas law's definition of a 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
- November 16, 2006
- Citation
- 0635642
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 0635642.
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.