Veterans' Survivor Benefits: The Complete Guide

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)

DIC is the central survivor benefit: a flat-rate, tax-free monthly payment to the eligible survivors of a service member or veteran whose death was connected to their service. It is authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 1310 and paid by VA.

Who qualifies

A surviving spouse (and, in some cases, children or parents) may receive DIC if:

• the service member died in the line of duty; or
• the veteran died from a service-connected injury or illness; or
• the veteran did not die of a service-connected cause but had a VA disability rated totally disabling for a qualifying period before death — generally 10 years, or 5 years from separation, or 1 year for a former prisoner of war (38 U.S.C. § 1318).

How much — the current rate

The basic monthly DIC rate for a surviving spouse is $1,699.36, effective December 1, 2025 (VA, Surviving spouse DIC rates). VA adds fixed amounts on top of the base in defined situations:

Rates effective December 1, 2025, from VA’s Surviving spouse DIC rates page; a transitional benefit and per-child amounts (for a surviving spouse with dependent children) are also listed there. Verified July 19, 2026.

Survivors Pension & Aid and Attendance

Survivors Pension (historically “Death Pension”) is a needs-based, tax-free benefit for the low-income surviving spouse or child of a deceased wartime veteran. Where DIC turns on how the veteran died, Survivors Pension turns on the survivor’s income and net worth.

VA pays the difference between your countable income and a ceiling called the Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR). The current MAPR figures, effective December 1, 2025, are:

MAPR figures effective December 1, 2025 (a 2.8% cost-of-living increase), from VA’s Survivors Pension rates page. Your actual annual benefit is the MAPR minus your countable income for VA purposes. Verified July 19, 2026.

Aid and Attendance and Housebound are increases on top of a pension for survivors who need help with daily living or are confined to the home — the higher MAPR rows above. Because Survivors Pension is needs-based, VA applies a net-worth limit and a three-year look-back at asset transfers; the eligibility rules are on VA’s Survivors Pension eligibility page.

The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)

The Survivor Benefit Plan is a Defense Department annuity — not a VA benefit — that a retiring service member elects to provide continuing income to a surviving spouse or child. Because a military retired-pay check stops at death, SBP is the mechanism that keeps part of it flowing: up to 55% of the member’s retired pay as a lifetime annuity to the survivor (10 U.S.C. § 1450; see the DoD Office of the Actuary and DFAS SBP materials at dfas.mil).

If your spouse was a military retiree, contact DFAS promptly to start the SBP annuity — it is a separate action from any VA claim, and the two agencies do not do it for each other.

Servicemembers’ & Veterans’ Group Life Insurance

If your spouse was insured under Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) while serving, or converted to Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) afterward, a death benefit of up to $500,000 is payable to the named beneficiary — VA raised the maximum from $400,000 to $500,000 effective March 1, 2023 (VA, SGLI; VA, VGLI). To file a claim, a beneficiary submits the Claim for Death Benefits (SGLV 8283) to the Office of Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (OSGLI); OSGLI’s claims line is 1-800-419-1473. These proceeds, like other life insurance, are received income-tax-free (IRC § 101(a)). Check also for Family SGLI (spouse/child coverage) and for any commercial policies your spouse held.

Burial & memorial benefits

VA provides burial and memorial benefits that many families do not realize they are owed. The core entitlements (VA, Burials and memorials):

• National cemetery burial — a gravesite in a VA national cemetery, opening and closing of the grave, a government headstone or marker, a burial flag, and perpetual care, at no cost to the family for an eligible veteran (and often the spouse).
• Headstone, marker, or medallion — furnished by VA even for burial in a private cemetery (VA, headstones & markers).
• Burial flag and a Presidential Memorial Certificate signed by the President honoring the veteran’s service.
• Burial allowances. For a service-connected death, VA pays up to $2,000 (deaths on or after Sept 11, 2001). For a non-service-connected death, VA pays a $1,002 burial allowance and a $1,002 plot allowance, effective October 1, 2025 (VA, Veterans burial allowance).

Burial-allowance figures effective October 1, 2025, from VA’s Veterans burial allowance page; national-cemetery scheduling runs through the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-800-535-1117. Verified July 19, 2026.

CHAMPVA health coverage

The Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) is a cost-sharing health program for the spouse or child of a veteran who is permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition, or who died of a service-connected condition (or died on active duty). It is not the same as TRICARE, and a survivor generally cannot use both. Eligibility, covered services, and how to apply are on VA’s CHAMPVA page; the CHAMPVA help line is 1-800-733-8387. A surviving spouse who becomes eligible for Medicare generally must keep Medicare Parts A and B to remain CHAMPVA-eligible, with CHAMPVA paying as a secondary payer.

Education benefits

Two distinct programs help survivors go to school. They cover different populations, and a person may not use both for the same period.

Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35 / DEA)

DEA provides up to 36 months of education and training benefits to the spouse or child of a veteran who is permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition, or who died from a service-connected cause (VA, DEA; authorized by 38 U.S.C. ch. 35). A surviving spouse whose qualifying event occurred on or after August 1, 2023 has no time limit to use the benefit; earlier events generally carry a 10-year window (20 years for certain active-duty deaths). Current monthly payment amounts are on VA’s Chapter 35 rates page.

The Fry Scholarship (Chapter 33)

The Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship gives the child or surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001 up to 36 months of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits at the 100% level — full tuition and fees at a public school in-state rate, plus a housing allowance and a books stipend (VA, Fry Scholarship). A surviving spouse’s Fry eligibility ends on remarriage; a child’s does not. Because DEA and Fry cannot both be used for the same enrollment, compare them before choosing.

State veterans agencies, all 50 states + DC

Every state and the District of Columbia runs its own department of veterans affairs, with benefits that stack on top of the federal ones above — property-tax exemptions, state veterans homes, tuition waivers, burial in state veterans cemeteries, and free benefits counseling through county or state Veterans Service Officers. The agency below is also the fastest route to a free accredited representative in your state. Every phone number and URL was verified against the official state source on July 19, 2026.

Each agency name, phone number, and URL confirmed on the official state government site on July 19, 2026. A few state web hosts refuse automated link checks; those rows are verified by hand and flagged for re-verification on our published cadence. To find your nearest accredited representative directly, VA’s representative locator is at va.gov.

How to apply — and where claims go wrong

The application paths differ by benefit — DIC and Survivors Pension on VA Form 21P-534EZ to VA; SBP through DFAS; SGLI/VGLI through OSGLI; burial benefits through VA or the national cemetery. What they share is that a knowledgeable, free representative dramatically improves the odds and the speed.

Two deadlines survivors most often miss:

• Accrued benefits. Benefits VA owed the veteran but had not paid can be claimed by a survivor — but generally only if filed within one year of the veteran’s death (38 U.S.C. § 5121).
• DIC effective dates. A DIC claim filed within one year of the veteran’s death can be effective back to the first of the month of death; filing later can cost you months of benefits. File promptly, with a free representative’s help.

Common questions

Sources & methodology