The Board has determined that the Appellant does not have proper legal standing to be recognized as the Veteran's surviving spouse for VA purposes due to a lack of credible evidence showing their marriage status. The case is being remanded to determine whether the Veteran and the Appellant were divorced at the time of his death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was insufficient evidence to confirm the Appellant's marital status with the Veteran, leading to a determination that she does not have legal standing as their surviving spouse for VA purposes.
- 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
- January 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19106958
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19106958.
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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