The Board has determined that the appellant cannot be recognized as the veteran's surviving spouse for VA benefit purposes due to their divorce, which is not excusable under VA regulations.
The deciding factor: Divorce does not excuse a separation between a lawfully married veteran and spouse at the time of the veteran's death. The appellant and the veteran were divorced in 1976, making it impossible for the appellant to be recognized as the surviving spouse for VA benefit purposes.
- 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 4, 2008
- Citation
- 0800321
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 0800321.
What this means for you
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