§ 222.14. Deemed marriage relationship.
179 words·~1 min read·
/us/cfr/t20/s§ 222.14·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
If a ceremonial or common-law marriage relationship cannot be established under State law, a claimant may still be found to have the relationship as spouse of an employee based upon a deemed marriage. A claimant is deemed to be the wife, husband, or widow(er) of the employee if the person's marriage to the employee would have been valid under State law except for a legal impediment, and all of the following requirements are met:
(a)The claimant married the employee in a civil or religious ceremony.
(b)The claimant went through the marriage ceremony in good faith. Good faith means that at the time of the ceremony the claimant did not know that a legal impediment existed, or if the claimant did know, he or she thought that it would not prevent a valid marriage.
(c)The claimant was living in the same household as the employee (see § 222.16) when he or she applied for the spouse annuity or when the employee died. [54 FR 42949, Oct. 19, 1989, as amended at 65 FR 20726, Apr. 18, 2000]