[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 20, Volume 1]
[Revised as of April 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 20CFR222.14]

[Page 434]
 
                      TITLE 20--EMPLOYEES' BENEFITS
 
                  CHAPTER II--RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD
 
PART 222_FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS--Table of Contents
 
          Subpart B_Relationship as Wife, Husband, or Widow(er)
 
Sec.  222.14  Deemed marriage relationship.

    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 Sec.  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]