The appellant is not recognized as the surviving spouse of the Veteran for the purpose of VA death benefits due to her divorce from the Veteran, which was procured by his misconduct without fault on her part. The Board finds no basis to recognize her as a surviving spouse under applicable law.
The deciding factor: The validity of the divorce decree is not in dispute; however, the appellant must have been married to the Veteran at the time of his death to qualify as a surviving spouse.
- 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
- February 14, 2018
- Citation
- 1809483
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1809483.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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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