The Board recognized the appellant as the lawful spouse of the Veteran at the time of his death and found that she lived with him continuously from the date of marriage to the date of his death, thus granting her recognition as his surviving spouse for purposes of receiving DIC benefits.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed a common law marriage between the appellant and the Veteran after their divorce in 2006, which was recognized by friends, neighbors, family members, financial documents, and VA treatment records.
- 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
- October 26, 2022
- Citation
- 22060243
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 22060243.
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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