The Board has granted the appellant's request to be recognized as the surviving spouse of the Veteran for the purpose of establishing eligibility for VA benefits, including dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) and death pension.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the appellant and the Veteran lived together continuously from their attempted common law marriage in 2015 until the Veteran's death in 2018. The appellant was unaware of Florida's legal impediment to common law marriages, which allowed the marriage to be deemed valid.
- 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
- April 14, 2023
- Citation
- 23022344
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 23022344.
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
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
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