3.52—Marriages deemed valid.
Where an attempted marriage of a claimant to the veteran was invalid by reason of a legal impediment, the marriage will nevertheless be deemed valid if:
(a)
The marriage occurred 1 year or more before the veteran died or existed for any period of time if a child was born of the purported marriage or was born to them before such marriage (see § 3.54(d) ), and
(c)
The claimant cohabited with the veteran continuously from the date of marriage to the date of his or her death as outlined in § 3.53, and
(d)
No claim has been filed by a legal surviving spouse who has been found entitled to gratuitous death benefits other than accrued monthly benefits covering a period prior to the veteran's death.