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Remanded (sent back)

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal regarding the validity of the debt created by removing her former spouse from her VA dependency benefits award is remanded. The overpayment issue related to this determination will also be addressed, and a waiver of recovery may be considered if necessary.

The deciding factor: The effective date for removal of the Veteran’s former spouse from her VA dependency benefit award was not properly determined in the initial decision, which affects the validity of the debt created by this action.

Claimed conditions
Former spouse's VA dependency benefits
How they argued it
Not specified
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
January 30, 2020
Citation
20007376

Veterans Law Judge

Michael J. Skaltsounis

Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20007376.

What this means for you

A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.

What you can do next

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