Denied
The Veteran's surviving spouse was already awarded $300 in burial benefits, so the appellant cannot be awarded any additional benefits. The appellant is not one of the persons eligible for burial benefits and there is no legal authority to award them.
The deciding factor: There is no legal basis to award burial benefits as the Veteran’s surviving spouse has priority and VA will only pay burial benefits to a single claimant.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19179421
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
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.