The Board denied recognition as the Veteran's surviving spouse for purposes of entitlement to DIC, pension, and accrued benefits due to a lack of continuous cohabitation from the date of marriage until the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The appellant did not provide evidence of continuous cohabitation with the Veteran from their marriage in 1974 until his death in 2016.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19188285
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 19188285.
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.