The Board finds that the appellant is not entitled to recognition as the surviving spouse of the Veteran for VA benefit purposes due to their legal divorce in March 1973 and lack of deemed valid marriage. The appellant's receipt of Social Security Administration benefits does not affect this determination.
The deciding factor: There was no current legal, ceremonial marriage between the appellant and the Veteran at the time of his death, nor any evidence of a deemed valid or common law marriage that would have established their status as surviving spouses for VA purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2012
- Citation
- 1229409
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1229409.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
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