The Board has determined that the appellant and the Veteran had a common law marriage since at least 1980, which is deemed valid under VA regulations. Therefore, the appellant's claim for recognition as the surviving spouse of the Veteran for the purpose of receiving VA death benefits is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence established that the appellant and the Veteran lived together as husband and wife since at least 1980, held themselves out to the community as such, and were generally accepted in their community. The common law marriage was deemed valid based on these factors.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2009
- Citation
- 0947745
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 0947745.
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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