Denied
The Veteran's surviving spouse died in December 2016, and the appellant filed for accrued benefits. The RO awarded an aid and attendance allowance to the surviving spouse but denied any payment to the appellant as she had not submitted expenses with her application. After a series of decisions, the appellant was reimbursed $8,396.24 for last illness and funeral expenses related to her mother. The Board found that the appellant does not qualify as an eligible survivor under VA regulations and thus denied any additional accrued benefits.
The deciding factor: The appellant did not meet the eligibility criteria for accrued benefits as defined by VA regulations.
- 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 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19181663
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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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.