The Veteran's death benefits claim was denied as the appellant, who filed for VA death benefits after her divorce from the Veteran in January 1995, is not recognized as his surviving spouse due to the public record of their divorce. The Board found that she did not meet the legal requirements for being a surviving spouse.
The deciding factor: The appellant was divorced from the Veteran at the time of his death and has not provided any explanation or evidence to overturn this fact, which is sufficient grounds to deny her claim as a surviving spouse.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2026
- Citation
- A26016679
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 A26016679.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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