Denied
The Board denied the Appellant's claim as a surviving spouse for VA death pension benefits because she was not married to the Veteran at the time of his death and did not continuously live with him from the date of their marriage until his death.
The deciding factor: The weight of evidence showed that the Appellant was not legally married to the Veteran at the time of his death, and there was no continuous cohabitation between them.
- 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 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19106023
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
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.