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Denied

The Veteran and the Appellant were married for less than a year prior to the Veteran's death. The Board denied recognition as the surviving spouse due to the short duration of their marriage.

The deciding factor: The marriage was less than one year before the Veteran's death, which is not sufficient time under VA regulations for eligibility as a surviving spouse.

Claimed conditions
Not specified in this decision
How they argued it
Not specified
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
October 15, 2015
Citation
1544076

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 1544076.

What this means for you

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