The Board found that the appellant is not recognized as the Veteran's surviving spouse for the purposes of receiving VA death benefits due to lack of a valid marriage and insufficient evidence supporting a common law marriage. The claim was denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish a valid marriage or a deemed valid marriage under VA regulations, nor did it provide sufficient proof of a common law marriage as required by VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2018
- Citation
- 1802673
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 1802673.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.