The appellant is not recognized as the Veteran's surviving spouse for VA survivor benefits because their marriage was less than one year before the Veteran's death, and there is no evidence of a prior legal marriage or common law marriage.
The deciding factor: The appellant and the Veteran were married within 15 years of the end of the Veteran’s service but not within one year of his death. There is no evidence of a valid pre-2014 marriage or common law marriage.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19115127
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 19115127.
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.