The Veteran's domestic partnership with J.B. is not considered a marriage for VA purposes, and therefore the Veteran is denied recognition of J.B. as his dependent spouse. The Veteran's stepchild T.B., whose mother is not considered his spouse, is also denied recognition as his dependent child.
The deciding factor: The Veteran entered into a domestic partnership with J.B. under California law in January 2017, which was not recognized as a marriage for VA purposes due to the specific requirements of state law and VA regulations regarding marriages and domestic partnerships. As a result, T.B., who is the stepchild of J.B., is also denied recognition as the Veteran's dependent child.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20010205
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 20010205.
What this means for you
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