DIC — monthly payment for the rest of your life
Pays $1,699.36/month, tax-free, plus $421.00/month per child under 18, plus $360.85/month if the veteran was rated totally disabled for the 8 years before death (married those same 8 years).
- Who qualifies: spouse or child of a veteran who died from a service-connected condition — or who was rated totally disabled for 10 years before death (5 years if rated from separation) even if the death itself wasn't service-connected.
- The form: VA Form 21P-534EZ — one form covers DIC, Survivors Pension, and accrued benefits at once.
- File within 1 year of the death and DIC pays retroactive to the month of death. File later and it only pays from the filing date.
- Remarriage: at 55 or older, you keep DIC. Before 55, it stops (and restarts if that marriage ends).
SBP — the retiree annuity from DFAS
Pays 55% of the covered retired pay, monthly, for life — if the retiree elected the Survivor Benefit Plan at retirement.
- This is separate from every VA benefit and comes from DFAS, not VA. Start it by calling DFAS at 800-321-1080 or via dfas.mil.
- You can receive SBP and DIC together in full. The old "widow's tax" offset that reduced SBP dollar-for-dollar by DIC was fully eliminated in 2023 — if someone tells you otherwise, they're working from old information.
- Paperwork: DFAS sends an annuity packet (DD Form 2656-7) after you report the death.
Survivors Pension — needs-based, wartime service
Pays up to $11,699/year (the gap between your countable income and that cap), rising to $18,697/year with Aid & Attendance if you need help with daily living.
- Who qualifies: a surviving spouse with limited income and net worth under $163,699, when the veteran served 90+ days with at least 1 day during a wartime period (24 months for post-1980 service).
- Same form as DIC: 21P-534EZ — VA automatically pays whichever is higher; you can't draw both.
- Unreimbursed medical expenses (in-home care, assisted living) subtract from countable income — many spouses who look "over income" actually qualify.
Burial & memorial — reimbursement and no-cost honors
Pays up to $2,000 (service-connected death) or $1,002 + $1,002 plot allowance (non-service-connected, buried outside a national cemetery).
- The form: VA Form 21P-530EZ, filed by whoever paid the funeral costs. Non-service-connected claims have a 2-year deadline from burial; service-connected have none.
- Always free, regardless of where buried: headstone/marker or medallion, burial flag (VA Form 27-2008), Presidential Memorial Certificate, and military funeral honors.
- National cemetery burial — gravesite, vault, opening/closing, perpetual care — costs nothing.
CHAMPVA — health coverage
Pays most of your medical costs (75/25 cost share after a $50 annual deductible) if you don't qualify for TRICARE.
- Who qualifies: spouse or child of a veteran who died of a service-connected condition or was rated permanently and totally disabled — and who isn't TRICARE-eligible (military retiree survivors usually keep TRICARE instead).
- The form: VA Form 10-10d, or apply online. Questions: 800-733-8387.
- Over 65? You can keep CHAMPVA as secondary to Medicare — enroll in Part B to stay eligible.
Education — Fry Scholarship vs. Chapter 35
Fry and Chapter 35 (DEA) have different eligibility and payment rules. Compare the approved program, attendance, remaining entitlement and current VA rates before choosing.
Don't do this alone: an accredited VSO (DAV, VFW, American Legion, or your county veterans service office) will prepare and file every one of these claims for free. Anyone charging a percentage of survivor benefits to file an initial claim is breaking the law. Find one at
va.gov/get-help-from-accredited-representative. For grief support, Vet Centers offer free bereavement counseling to survivors:
877-927-8387.
Email this guide to yourself or a family member
The first-two-weeks checklist and every benefit above — rates, forms, phone numbers, and deadlines — in one email you can forward, print, or come back to.
