The veteran and the appellant were divorced at the time of the veteran's death in January 2004. Therefore, recognition of the appellant as the surviving spouse for VA death benefits is not established.
The deciding factor: The record shows that the veteran and the appellant were married in May 1970 but subsequently divorced in 1994 or 1995. The appellant was never remarried after their divorce, and therefore she cannot be recognized as the surviving spouse for VA death benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 28, 2008
- Citation
- 0817436
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 0817436.
What this means for you
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