The Board has granted the appellant's claim for recognition as the Veteran's surviving spouse for purposes of VA benefits, finding that she met the criteria based on her continuous cohabitation with the Veteran prior to his death.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the appellant's continuous cohabitation and presentation of herself and the Veteran as a married couple prior to their formal marriage in June 2008, which was deemed valid for VA purposes due to Florida law not recognizing common-law marriages.
- 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
- December 29, 2015
- Citation
- 1554031
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 1554031.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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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