Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death because the Appellant, who was divorced from the Veteran at the time of his death, did not meet the legal requirements to be recognized as a surviving spouse.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the Appellant and Veteran were legally divorced at the time of the Veteran's death and did not hold themselves out as married, thus disqualifying her from being considered a 'surviving spouse' for VA benefits purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 24, 2025
- Citation
- A25101871
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