The Board found that the appellant's marriages to the Veteran were legally terminated by divorce in January 1991, and thus did not meet the criteria for recognition as his surviving spouse for purposes of obtaining VA death benefits.
The deciding factor: There was no valid marriage between the appellant and the Veteran following their 1991 divorce, preventing her from being recognized as a surviving spouse for VA pension eligibility.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 30, 2010
- Citation
- 1011746
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 1011746.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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.