The Veteran and the appellant were in a same-sex partnership while residing in Texas from February 1985 until the Veteran's death. The partnership was not recognized as a valid common law marriage under Texas law, thus the appellant cannot be recognized as the Veteran's surviving spouse for VA benefits purposes.
The deciding factor: The partnership between the Veteran and the appellant was not a valid common law marriage under Texas law due to the prohibition of same-sex marriages in the state.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2015
- Citation
- 1552617
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 1552617.
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