The VA determined that the appellant did not meet the requirements to be recognized as the Veteran's surviving spouse for DIC, death benefits or accrued benefits purposes due to lack of a valid marriage under Nevada law.
The deciding factor: The appellant entered into the purported common law marriage with the Veteran without knowledge of the fact that Nevada law does not recognize such marriages, but her statement of having no knowledge of an impediment was not accepted as proof of this fact.
- 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
- March 31, 2015
- Citation
- 1513794
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1513794.
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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