The Board has determined that the appellant cannot be recognized as the Veteran's surviving spouse due to a divorce during his lifetime and separations not attributable to fault of the appellant. The case is being remanded for further investigation into these issues.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence found indicating whether the Veteran and the appellant had divorced during his lifetime, nor could it be determined if any separations were due to the misconduct of the Veteran without the fault of the appellant.
- 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
- May 18, 2016
- Citation
- 1620171
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 1620171.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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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