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Granted

The Board recognized the appellant as the surviving spouse for purposes of establishing eligibility for VA benefits, given that she and the Veteran were married at the time of his death and lived apart by mutual consent.

The deciding factor: The separation was by mutual consent and not due to misconduct by the appellant. The appellant intended to reconcile with the Veteran when he got his substance use under control.

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 28, 2021
Citation
21077039

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 21077039.

What this means for you

A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.

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