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Denied

The Board denied the appellant's claim for eligibility as the surviving spouse of her deceased husband, finding that she was not legally married to him at the time of his death and thus does not meet the legal requirements for VA benefits.

The deciding factor: The appellant was divorced from her husband at the time of his death, which disqualifies her from being considered his surviving spouse under VA regulations.

Claimed conditions
Not specified in this decision
How they argued it
Not specified
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
March 10, 2022
Citation
22013570

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 22013570.

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