The Board has determined that the appellant cannot be considered as a surviving spouse of the veteran due to her not being married at the time of his death and because she did not meet the requirements for a deemed valid marriage under VA regulations.
The deciding factor: The appellant was not married to the veteran at the time of his death, and even if they attempted to enter into a common-law marriage, she did not cohabit with him continuously from the date of their 'marriage' to the date of his death. The Board found that her relationship with the veteran prior to his death may not be considered a deemed valid marriage under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 19, 2007
- Citation
- 0701641
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 0701641.
What this means for you
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