VA Survivor Benefits: What You Need to Know
If you’re the widow of a veteran who died from a service-connected disability, the VA may owe you Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits.
These VA death benefits for spouses can help provide financial relief during an undoubtedly difficult time. Read on for more information about DIC, who’s eligible, and how to apply.
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Why should you apply for VA DIC benefits?
You could receive more than $1,699.36 a month with DIC.
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits help financially support your family after the loss of a veteran. Those payments start at $1,699.36 per month, and you could receive even more if you’re disabled or caring for a child. We know money won’t erase the grief of losing a loved one, but these VA survivor benefits can help you keep up with the bills while you look after yourself and your family.
You may be closer to DIC VA benefits than you think.
Many assume they aren’t eligible to receive veterans survivor benefits for widows, even when they are. The VA’s rules can be confusing and you could receive a denial even though you qualify. That’s why we’re here to help. We’ll review your case and work to get you the monthly payments your family deserves, even if the veteran’s cause of death has not yet been service-connected.
DIC eligibility requirements
Here are the qualifications that must be met for a survivor to receive VA widow benefits following the death of a spouse.
DIC qualifications for veterans
A spouse who applies for DIC VA benefits must provide evidence that one of the following is true about their veterans:
- The service member died while on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive-duty training, or
- The veteran died from a service-connected illness or injury (or the veteran’s service-connected disability contributed to the veteran’s passing), or
- The veteran didn’t die from a service-connected illness or injury but was eligible to receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability rated as totally disabling for at least ten years immediately before death, with some exceptions.
DIC qualifications for surviving spouses
To receive VA DIC benefits, a spouse must have lived with the veteran without a break until the veteran’s death. If the couple was separated, the law says the widow can still collect payments if not at “fault” for the separation.
A surviving spouse must also meet one of the following conditions:
- Married the veteran within 15 years of their discharge from the period of military service during which the qualifying illness or injury started or got worse, or
- Married to the veteran for at least one year, or
- Had a child with the veteran
Can a widow of a veteran remarry and receive DIC benefits?
Yes, here are the circumstances in which a widow can remarry and continue receiving VA DIC benefits:
- If you remarried on or after Dec. 16, 2003, and you were 57 years of age or older at the time you remarried, or
- If you remarried on or after Jan. 5, 2021, and you were 55 years of age or older at the time you remarried
Dependency and indemnity compensation payment amounts
Widows who are eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) receive a monthly payment of $1,699.36. They will receive additional amounts under the following circumstances:
- Add $360.85 if the veteran at the time of death was in receipt of or entitled to receive compensation for a service-connected disability rated totally disabling (including a rating based on Individual Unemployability) for a continuous period of at least eight years immediately preceding death AND the surviving spouse was married to the veteran for those same eight years
- Add $421.00 for each dependent child under 18 years old
- Add $421.00 if the surviving spouse is entitled to Aid and Attendance benefits
- Add $197.22 if the surviving spouse is housebound
- Add $359.00 for the first two years after the veteran’s death if the surviving spouse has one or more children under 18 regardless of the number of children
Get help with your veterans’ survivor benefits claim
Woods & Woods has worked with many widows and widowers. We have seen the weight of their grief after losing a spouse — especially one who proudly served and sacrificed for their country.
The last thing a surviving spouse wants to deal with during the grieving process is the VA. Yet, the years of medical bills and the loss of a veteran’s VA disability payments can be financially devastating.
If you have not yet filed an application for DIC benefits, we can help. Woods & Woods never charges to help you file, and if the VA grants you benefits on the initial application, you owe us nothing. If you hire us to handle your appeal, we never ask for money upfront. We will only charge a fee (a percentage of back pay) and case expenses if we win, and we will never touch your future benefits.
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