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 pays full Post-9/11 GI Bill (all in-state public tuition + housing allowance + books). Chapter 35 (DEA) pays $1,574/month full-time for 36 months.
- Fry is for spouses and children of service members who died in the line of duty after 9/10/2001 (and some SC-death survivors) — almost always the better pick when eligible.
- You choose one, permanently — compare before filing VA Form 22-5490.
- Children's window: generally ages 18–26 for Chapter 35; a spouse has 10–20 years depending on the case.
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.