VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: What You Should Know

VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation or DIC is a benefit the VA offers to the surviving spouse, children, or parent of a deceased veteran. It is a part of the compensation and pension benefits by the VA. Aside from this, they also offer burial costs, life insurance, healthcare, and other financial help.

Many veterans with disabilities receive monthly compensation benefits from the VA for as long as they are alive. If they add their dependents to their account, there will be extra payments for the latter. However, after the death of the veteran, this benefit ends. That’s when the DIC comes to help.

If you don’t know much about Dependency and Indemnity Compensation as a veteran with dependants, you should go through this article.

What Is DIC

Among the many programs that the VA runs for the betterment of a veteran’s life, the DIC helps their surviving spouse and other family members tackle tough times. It is a monthly payment for the eligible dependents of the veteran who died on or after January 1, 1957.

However, it is not only for a veteran but anyone who died while on active duty, active duty training, or inactive duty training also counts. If you look at it, the benefit is pretty similar to the Survivor’s benefits by the SSA. However, they have many differences.

Eligibility Factors for DIC Benefits for the Veteran

All the eligibility factors for the DIC benefits revolve around the death of the veteran, as in when they died or the cause of their death. Let’s check them below-

• The veteran died while on active duty, active duty training, or inactive duty training, or,
• The veteran died because of a service-related or a secondary service-connected disability.

But if the above two criteria don’t match, there are still some ways that the veteran’s family can be eligible for DIC. In that case, the veteran must be disabled by any service-connected condition for a certain period before death. These eligibility criteria include-

• The veteran was disabled for at least 10 years, immediately before the day of their death.
• The veteran was disabled from their discharge date and for at least 5 years immediately before the day of their death.
• The veteran had a total disability for one year immediately before the day of their death and was a former prisoner of war.

When we mention discharge anywhere in the eligibility, it means anything other than a dishonorable status. Also, the total disability can be based on the Individual Unemployability benefit.

Eligibility Factors for DIC Benefits for the Surviving Family Members

The following are the eligibility factors that surviving family members have to meet in order to get the DIC benefits-

For the Surviving Spouse

Any one of these must be true-

• The spouse lived with the veteran without any separation or break until their death. Or,
• In case of any separation, it wasn’t the fault of the surviving spouse.

And at least one of these must be true-

• The surviving spouse must have been married to the veteran for at least a year. Or,
• The surviving spouse married the veteran within 15 years of their discharge from the service days, which caused them the qualified disability. Or,
• The surviving spouse had a child with the veteran.

For a Surviving Child

All of the following must be true-

• The child of the veteran is unmarried. And,
• The child is under 18 (or under 23, but attending school). And,
• The child is not added to the surviving spouse’s compensation.

For a Surviving Parent

Both of the following must be true-

• The parent must be a biological, adoptive, or foster parent of the veteran. And,
• The parent’s income must be within a specific amount. Their annual earning may affect the compensation amount they get from the DIC benefit.

Is VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation a Lifetime Benefit?

Yes, surviving members of the veteran can receive the DIC benefit for their lifetime. The purpose of this compensation is to aid the family as a pension. Hence, it would make no sense to end it at any point.

Not only this, but many of their other benefits are also lifetime that the VA offers to the surviving spouse and other family members of the veteran.

Can You Receive Both DIC and Social Security Benefits Simultaneously?

A veteran can get both Social Security and DIC together if eligible. You may notice that the survivor’s benefit from SSA looks very similar to the DIC. However, the former is for the surviving member of any deceased worker, while the latter is only for veterans.

The two are also from completely different organizations, so you won’t have to worry about the double-dipping rule that prohibits people from getting two benefits of the same type. The reasoning behind their payment is also very dissimilar.

DIC Benefit Amount

As of 2023, the monthly compensation amount for the DIC benefit is $1,562.74. It is tax-free. The amount is primarily paid to the surviving spouse of the veteran. If they are not present, it can be to any other eligible member.

Final Note

The DIC benefit is a wonderful help for the surviving member of the veteran’s family. However, there are other benefits they can receive, including healthcare. If you are a veteran with service-connected disabilities but haven’t reported to the VA yet, you should report it to the VA. VA Disability Coach can help you with an eligibility review.