The Board found that the appellant and the Veteran did not meet the criteria for recognition as the surviving spouse of the Veteran for VA benefits purposes due to a lack of evidence showing an agreement to be married, continuous cohabitation, or holding themselves out as husband and wife prior to their September 2007 marriage.
The deciding factor: The appellant's statements regarding her relationship with the Veteran were inconsistent with the Veteran's own actions and statements made before his death, leading the Board to conclude that there was no common law marriage established prior to their September 2007 valid marriage ceremony.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 12, 2010
- Citation
- 1038259
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 1038259.
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