Denied
The Veteran's surviving spouse died, and the appellant was appointed a fiduciary for her. She received $900 in reimbursement for burial expenses but is not entitled to additional accrued benefits as she is an adult child who can support herself.
The deciding factor: The appellant is an adult child capable of self-support and thus does not meet the legal definition for receiving accrued benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 7, 2020
- Citation
- A20018060
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.