8 Key Benefits Every Surviving Veteran Should Know
Widows, widowers and other survivors of military veterans usually first deal with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at one of the most difficult periods in their lives: when a veteran pass away.
Jim Marszalek, national service director for
Disabled American Veterans, knows this problem well. He says that although the
VA offers classes for service members before they leave the military to
familiarize them with benefits, many of them are focused on immediate problems,
not on benefits that could be useful to them and their family in the future.
For example, one widow was trying to claim a
state property tax exemption that was created to help veterans and their
survivors, but there was a problem: In order to receive the exemption, she had
to show that her husband had been totally disabled, but he had never applied
for total disability rating with the VA before he died.
In addition, Marszalek says, many benefits are
based on having a condition that the VA defines as a disability, and “there is
a stigma associated with disability.” Those views, combined with the complex
requirements and rules for receiving benefit programs, often mean that veteran
survivors miss out on benefits to which they are entitled.
To learn essential information about survivor
benefits, we spoke with Kevin Friel, assistant director of Pension and
Fiduciary Service at the VA, and Garrett Schmidt, program manager and analyst
at the VA.
Health and education benefits for military
families
- The Department of Veterans Affairs Civilian
Health and Medical Program and other medical assistance programs can provide
health care services to military families.
- Scholarships, grants, and GI Bill transfer
make higher education and vocational training more affordable.
Survivors, Spouses, and Dependents'
Compensation
- Dependency and indemnity compensation
- Accrued benefits
- Survivor benefits
- Burial benefits
- Home loan benefits
1.Medical Care
A valuable benefit available to eligible
survivors is comprehensive medical coverage under the Department of Veterans
Affairs Civilian Health and Medical Program (CHAMPVA). Through this program,
the VA shares the cost of most health care services and medical supplies it
deems necessary for eligible surviving spouses and children. In most cases,
eligibility for coverage applies to survivors of veterans who were totally
disabled or died from a service-connected disability as rated by the VA.
The VA also guarantees comprehensive medical
coverage through its Spina Bifida Health Care Benefits Program for children of
Vietnam War veterans and certain Korean War veterans diagnosed with the
disorder.
In addition, limited health coverage is
available for survivors of specific service areas or assignments. For example,
service members and their spouses and children who lived at Camp Lejeune in
North Carolina between August 1953 and 1987 may be reimbursed for certain
out-of-pocket health care expenses due to contaminated water found there. The
benefit applies to the treatment of 15 specific diseases and disorders,
including infertility, miscarriages and various types of cancer.
Another health care benefit applies to children
with certain congenital malformations born to mothers who are veterans of the
Vietnam War. The Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Care Program (CWVV) covers
services necessary for the treatment of the covered congenital malformation and
related conditions.
2.Education and Training
There is abundant financial assistance
available for military survivors interested in education or vocational
training. In some cases, the Government pays all or most of the tuition costs
for college and other educational programs.
Two key programs that eligible surviving
spouses and children should explore are the Fry Scholarship and the Educational
Assistance for Survivors and Dependents of Veterans (DEA) program.
Under the Fry program, the Government pays the
full cost of tuition at public institutions in the state of residence, up to
$27,120 per year for a private institution, a monthly housing allowance, and a
stipend for books and supplies. This scholarship is for eligible children of
veterans up to age 33, and for eligible surviving spouses.
Eligible survivors who choose the DEA program
can receive a monthly check sent directly to them to cover education costs for
36 months.
The Fry's and DEA programs can be used to cover
the costs of college, vocational and trade technology programs, apprenticeship
programs, credentialing tests, and mentoring.
The federal Forever GI Bill, passed in 2017,
has made it easier for survivors to transfer benefits under the GI Bill after
the death of a member of the Armed Forces.
The criteria for receiving educational benefits
may depend on several factors, including the date and circumstances of the
veteran's death, the age of dependent children, and the marital status of the
widow or widower.
3. VA Home Loans
Surviving spouses who meet certain requirements
can get a VA-guaranteed home loan to buy, build, or improve a home or refinance
a mortgage.
VA home loans have many advantages over other
mortgage loans. In most cases, the buyer does not have to make a down payment
to make the purchase. Those who use these loans also do not have to pay
mortgage insurance premiums (PMI).
For homeowners looking to refinance, one option
is to cash out the full refinance loan, which allows them to obtain cash based
on the equity in the home and use it, for example, to pay off debt, pay for
educational expenses or make home improvements.
4.Survivors' pension provided by the VA
Surviving spouses of veterans who served during
wartime, have modest incomes, and have not remarried may apply for the tax-free
monthly payment of the VA Survivors Pension. The benefit is also available to
unmarried dependent children of veterans up to age 18, or up to age 23 while
studying at a VA-approved institution.
Congress sets the maximum annual survivor
pension rate (MAPR) annually; the criteria are based on income and net worth
(including assets such as bank accounts, investments, and real estate other
than your primary residence). In 2023, the higher rate for surviving spouses
will range from just under $10,750 a year to about $20,500, depending on
whether they have children and whether they qualify for other VA benefits. The
actual payment amount is the difference between your earnings and your maximum
pension rate.
5. Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
benefits are one of the most valuable benefits available to surviving spouses
and dependents of veterans. Individuals who meet the criteria for DIC benefits
can receive tens of thousands of dollars a year in tax-free payments.
DIC payment rates are adjusted annually. In
2023, surviving spouses of veterans who have died since Jan. 1, 1993, will
receive about $1,560 a month, with possible supplemental payments if the
veteran was disabled or if the spouse is disabled or caring for minor children.
(The VA uses a different scale for veterans who died before 1993, with DIC
rates ranging from about $1,560 to $3,580, plus supplements, depending on the
deceased's salary level.)
Dependent children may also be eligible for DIC
payments, and some parents of deceased veterans may be able to receive these
benefits if their income is low.
It is best to apply for benefits as soon as
possible. If applied for more than 12 months after the veteran's death,
payments are retroactive only to the date of application, not the date of
death. In most cases, surviving spouses lose eligibility for this benefit if
they remarry, unless they are over age 55.
The program is designed to compensate survivors
when a service member dies while in service or from a service-connected
disability. It also compensates survivors of veterans who died for some
non-service-connected reason, but were deemed by the VA to be totally disabled
due to a service-connected disability for a certain period of time immediately
prior to death.
Experts say this program is one of the reasons
veterans should apply for total disability rating as soon as they become
eligible to do so.
After a surviving spouse or child files
application form 21P-534EZ, the VA also determines whether they are eligible to
receive the survivor pension and any accrued benefits.
If the VA notices, for example, that a veteran
began suffering from hypertension - which is now considered a service-connected
disorder because of the PACT Act - it will assess whether the veteran qualifies
for DIC compensation.
“The surviving spouse, in his or her time of
grief, maybe says, 'Well, I can only get the survivor's pension because I'm in
this nursing home. I don't think my husband's or wife's death is
service-related′,” Schmidt said. “If we see something like hypertension on a
death certificate, which is now included in the PACT Act, or presumption of
herbicide exposure (a disorder alleged to have originated from military
service), and we see on DD 214 that this veteran served overseas, maybe even
served in Laos, we now have a proven connection, so we can pay DIC benefits to
the surviving spouse.”
6. Burial benefits
Eligible veterans, and their spouses and
dependents, may be buried in one of 155 VA-operated national cemeteries.
Veterans' burial benefits at these cemeteries
include opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care of the grave, a
Government headstone or marker post, a mortuary flag, and a Presidential
Memorial Certificate (PMC), at no cost to the family.
Burial services available for spouses and
dependents buried in a national cemetery include burial with the veteran,
perpetual care of the grave, and the spouse's or dependents' name and date of
birth and death inscribed on the veteran's headstone, at no cost to the family.
Eligible spouses and dependents may be buried in a VA national cemetery, even
if the veteran is not buried there.
When veterans are buried in a private cemetery,
the Government provides a headstone or marker post, a mortuary flag, and a
Presidential Memorial Certificate (PMC). The VA may also pay some of the
funeral and burial expenses, up to $2,000.
The department recently announced that it will
also cover burial transportation costs. Generally, this would be the cost for
transporting the veteran from a funeral home to his or her final resting place.
A receipt is required for the VA to determine the amount to be reimbursed.
For non-service-connected deaths, burial
benefits must be requested within two years of the veteran's burial. Meanwhile,
service-connected burials, when the cause of death is related to milita
7. Accrued Benefits
Accrued benefits may be paid when a veteran had
a claim still pending at the time of death. When an application for DIC
benefits is submitted to the VA, the agency investigates whether there were
benefits the veteran should have received, which would then be paid to his or
her spouse.
“Sometimes survivors don't know the veteran had
a claim, so we look into that to determine if there might be entitlement to
accrued benefits or if there is a possibility of receiving them,” Friel
said. “If so, we process them and make
the payment without the survivor having to do anything else.” Payment on a
claim filed by a deceased spouse, child or dependent parent may also qualify
for payment of accrued benefits.
8. Life Insurance
Service-Disabled Veterans Life Insurance
(S-DVI) stopped accepting new applications after 2022, but those who already
have it can keep it.
In 2023, the agency introduced VALife, which
provides up to $40,000 in life insurance coverage for all veterans up to age
80. No medical evaluation is required and veterans with any disability rating
are accepted. Veterans age 81 and older must meet some additional requirements.
S-DVI coverage is normally capped at $10,000.
However, VALife offers up to $40,000 for those with a service-connected
disability, with lower amounts of coverage in $10,000 increments.
How to Apply for VA Survivor Benefits
From medical care to education to monthly
compensation, there are several benefits that may be available to spouses and
dependents of deceased veterans, even if they were never enrolled in the VA
system.
If the veteran was already receiving VA
benefits, the agency can automatically initiate payment of burial and Dependency
and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits; the spouse need only inform the VA
of the death.
If the veteran was already receiving
compensation or pension at the time of death, survivors may also receive a
lump-sum payment in the amount that would have been paid to the veteran had he
or she lived that full month.
If the veteran was never in the VA system,
spouses and dependents may still apply for survivor pension and DIC benefits by
submitting the deceased veteran's military service record, medical records, and
death certificate. If the veteran was collecting Social Security disability
benefits, the VA can recover them on behalf of the spouse.
Remember, the more information you provide, the
faster the decision will be. Fill out as much information as you can. But don't worry if you can't answer
everything: the VA will accept a form that is substantially complete.
“We have a duty to assist with federal
records,” Friel said.
All survivors who wish to file an application
can receive assistance in doing so at an accredited veterans service
organization (VSO), at a VA regional office or by calling the VA benefits
hotline, 800-827-1000.ry service, have no time limits for requesting burial,
transportation, and plot benefits.
