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Denied

The Veteran's surviving spouse did not have any claims pending before VA at the time of her passing, and thus there were no accrued benefits due to be paid. The appellant's claim for accrued benefits was denied as she did not submit a completed application prior to her mother's death.

The deciding factor: There were no pending claims for higher rate of Special Monthly Pension (SMP) benefits at the time of the Veteran's surviving spouse's death, and thus there were no periodic monetary benefits due to be paid as accrued 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
August 7, 2024
Citation
A24044409

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 A24044409.

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