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 because they were in a common-law marriage which is not recognized by the state. The Appellant failed to provide evidence that she entered into the marriage without knowledge of the legal impediment.
- 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
- March 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19115258
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (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 19115258.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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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