The Veteran's former spouse, the appellant, is not recognized as his surviving spouse for purposes of entitlement to DIC benefits and death pension benefits due to their divorce at the time of the Veteran's death. The appeal is denied.
The deciding factor: The appellant and the Veteran were divorced at the time of the Veteran's death, which is a prerequisite for being considered a surviving spouse. There is no exception for divorces due to service-connected conditions.
- 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 24, 2022
- Citation
- 22017218
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 22017218.
What this means for you
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