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Denied

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an increased DIC rate based on her adoption of her grandson, finding that he did not meet the legal requirements to be considered a dependent child under VA regulations.

The deciding factor: The adopted child was living with the appellant for nearly 12 years after the Veteran's death and the adoption occurred more than 20 years after the Veteran's death, which exceeded the required time limits set by VA regulations.

Claimed conditions
Not specified in this decision
How they argued it
Not specified
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
January 4, 2012
Citation
1200141

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 1200141.

What this means for you

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