The Board has determined that the appellant was not the Veteran's legal spouse at the time of his death and there is no credible evidence in the record to support a common-law marriage. As such, the claim for recognition as the Veteran's widow for purposes of VA benefits must be denied.
The deciding factor: There is no credible evidence showing that a common-law marriage existed between the Veteran and the appellant at the time of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 23, 2011
- Citation
- 1142957
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 1142957.
What this means for you
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