The Board found that the appellant did not qualify for VA death benefits as she was not married to the Veteran for at least one year prior to his death.
The deciding factor: The appellant and the Veteran were not legally married until January 2006, which occurred after the Veteran's death in September 2006. The Board found that their marriage did not meet the legal requirements for a common law marriage as there was no present intent and agreement to be married prior to January 2006.
- 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 3, 2011
- Citation
- 1128651
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 1128651.
What this means for you
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