The Board denied the Appellant's claim for recognition as the surviving spouse of the Veteran for VA purposes due to a lack of evidence showing that they entered into a valid common law marriage after their divorce, despite living together and caring for each other.
The deciding factor: The Board found no credible evidence that the Appellant entered into a marital contract with the Veteran following their May 1990 divorce, as evidenced by their separate financial arrangements and lack of desire to remarry or assume the responsibilities of marriage.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 27, 2022
- Citation
- 22060513
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 22060513.
What this means for you
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