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Denied

The Board denied the appellant's claims for recognition as a surviving spouse, entitlement to DIC benefits, accrued benefits, and death pension due to her not meeting the legal criteria to establish status as the deceased Veteran's surviving spouse.

The deciding factor: The appellant did not continuously cohabitate with the Veteran at the time of his death and was found to be free of fault at the time of separation. The Board determined she does not meet the legal criteria to establish status as the Veteran's surviving spouse for purposes of VA benefits.

Claimed conditions
Not specified in this decision
How they argued it
Not specified
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
September 7, 2023
Citation
23049345

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 23049345.

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