The Veteran and the appellant were divorced in May 2007, and the appellant resided in California while the Veteran resided in Oregon. The Board found that they did not meet the requirements to be recognized as the surviving spouse for purposes of receiving DIC benefits.
The deciding factor: The appellant was not married to the Veteran at the time of his death due to their divorce and non-cohabitation following the divorce.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 2, 2018
- Citation
- 18140150
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 18140150.
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.