The Board denied the appellant's claim to be recognized as the Veteran's surviving spouse for VA death benefits purposes due to a lack of valid marriage under Pennsylvania law, despite her claims of reconciliation and shared living arrangements.
The deciding factor: The record did not establish a valid common law marriage between the appellant and the Veteran in accordance with Pennsylvania law, which abolished such marriages effective January 2, 2005. The appellant's statements were insufficient to rebut the presumption that they were divorced.
- 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
- 19115344
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 19115344.
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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