The appellant is not eligible for death pension benefits as the Veteran's surviving spouse due to a lack of valid marriage and no child born during or before their marriage.
The deciding factor: The appellant and the Veteran were only married for 10 months prior to the Veteran's death, did not contract a common law marriage in Ohio (which is required by state law), and there was no evidence of a valid marriage for more than one year prior to the Veteran's death. Additionally, they had no child born during or before their marriage.
- 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 17, 2015
- Citation
- 1552852
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 1552852.
What this means for you
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