The Board has recognized the appellant as the lawful spouse of the Veteran at the time of his death and lived with him continuously from their common law marriage in September 1980 to his death, thus granting recognition for purposes of receiving DIC benefits.
The deciding factor: The evidence established that the appellant and the Veteran had a valid common law marriage under Oklahoma common law starting from September 1980, which was recognized by VA as meeting the criteria for surviving spouse status.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 2, 2022
- Citation
- A22022184
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A22022184.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
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