The Board finds that the appellant does not qualify as a surviving spouse for the purpose of basic eligibility to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), death pension, and accrued benefits.
The deciding factor: There is no valid marriage existing between the Veteran and the appellant at the time of the Veteran's death, and their marital status was legally dissolved by a divorce judgment in March 1984. The appellant has not presented any evidence to establish that they maintained a marital relationship with the Veteran after their divorce.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 10, 2010
- Citation
- 1029887
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 1029887.
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.