The Veteran's death benefits claim for the appellant as his surviving spouse was denied because she and the Veteran were not legally married for at least a year prior to the Veteran's death, and there is no evidence of common law marriage. The appellant also did not have any children with the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The appellant and the Veteran were not legally married for at least a year prior to the Veteran's death due to legal impediments in California (where they resided), and there was no evidence of common law marriage or recognition of such.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2026
- Citation
- A26039970
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 A26039970.
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