The Veteran's death was less than one year after the Appellant and Veteran entered into a ceremonial marriage. The Board found that their relationship did not meet the requirements for recognition as a surviving spouse due to lack of formal marriage, despite living together for over ten years.
The deciding factor: The Appellant and Veteran had no valid marriage under Hawaii law, which is required for DIC benefits eligibility.
- 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 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19115258
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 19115258.
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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