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Denied

The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as the Veteran's surviving spouse, finding that she did not meet the requirements of VA regulations regarding marital status and legal validity.

The deciding factor: The appellant failed to establish a continuous marital relationship with the Veteran from the date of marriage until his death, despite her claims. The divorce decree was valid under the law, and there were no indications of remarriage or cohabitation after the 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
December 9, 2010
Citation
1046104

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 1046104.

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