The Board finds that the veteran was unaware of the consequences of not submitting evidence within the time period specified in the July 28, 2000 letter and did not abandon his claim. Therefore, an effective date of January 3, 2000 is granted for the addition of the veteran's common law spouse as a dependent.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the veteran was unaware of the consequences of not submitting evidence within the time period specified in the July 28, 2000 letter and did not abandon his claim. Therefore, an effective date of January 3, 2000 is granted for the addition of the veteran's common law spouse as a dependent.
- 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 15, 2009
- Citation
- 0901748
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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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.