The Veteran's surviving spouse died in October [Redacted], 2015. The appellant requested reimbursement for the expense of her mother's last sickness, but was denied as she did not meet the relationship requirements for accrued benefits and did not submit evidence showing she paid out of her own pocket towards last expenses or last illness expenses.
The deciding factor: The appellant did not qualify as a 'child' for accrued benefits purposes and did not provide sufficient evidence to show she personally incurred any expenses related to her mother's last sickness.
- 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
- April 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19130689
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,569 · Granted: 26% (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 19130689.
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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