DIC is a tax-free benefit for the surviving spouse and dependent children. A spouse's Survivor Benefits Plan
(SBP) annuity is reduced by any DIC amount received.
Note: A surviving spouse who remarries on or after December 16, 2003, and on or after attaining age 57,
is entitled to continue to receive DIC.
VA also adds a transitional benefit of $250 to the surviving spouse's monthly DIC if there are children
under age 18. The amount is based on a family unit, not individual children. It is paid for two years from
the date that entitlement to DIC commences, but is discontinued earlier when there is no child under age
18 or no child on the surviving spouse's DIC for any reason.
Parents' DIC is a monthly benefit amount for the decedent's parents. It is based on income.
Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance provides payment of a monthly education or training
allowance to the spouse and children of a veteran who died of a service-connected disability. Eligible
persons can receive up to 45 months of benefits. Professional, educational and vocational counseling
will be provided to eligible children and surviving spouses without charge upon request.
This program is available to eligible survivors while pursuing a program of education or training under
Dependent's Educational Assistance.
The surviving spouse of a veteran who died in service or as the result of a service-connected disability
may be eligible for a guaranteed loan from a private lender. The loan may be used to purchase, construct
or improve a home; to purchase a manufactured home and/or lot; or to refinance existing mortgages or other
liens of record on a dwelling owned and occupied by the surviving spouse as his or her home. There is no
time limit to use this benefit.
Information on where and how to file for Servicemember's Group Life Insurance (SGLI) proceeds may be found
at VA's Insurance Center Web site
Financial Counseling services are available at no cost to SGLI Insurance beneficiaries. This service
provides a one-on-one counseling session, a detailed step-by-step financial plan, and access to financial
counselors for one year.
Bereavement Counseling is now being offered to parents, spouses and children of Armed Forces personnel who
died in the service of their country. Also eligible are family members of reservists and National Guardsmen
who die while on duty.
VR&E can provide a wide range of vocational and educational counseling services to survivors and dependents
who are eligible for one of VA's educational benefit programs. These services are designed to help an
individual choose a vocational direction and determine the course needed to achieve the chosen goal.
The designated survivor of a deceased servicemenber will be refunded the service member's:
pay reductions for participation in the Montgomery GI Bill, less benefits previously paid to the
servicemember contributions to the Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP).
Burial benefits available include a gravesite in any of the 124 national cemeteries with available space,
opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a Government headstone or marker, a burial flag, and a
Presidential Memorial Certificate, at no cost to the family. Some veterans may also be eligible for Burial
Allowances. Cremated remains are buried or inurned in national cemeteries in the same manner and with the
same honors as casketed remains.
Burial benefits available for spouses and dependents buried in a national cemetery include burial with the
veteran, perpetual care, and the spouse or dependents name and date of birth and death will be inscribed on
the veteran's headstone, at no cost to the family.
Burial benefits available for veterans buried in a private cemetery include a Government headstone or marker,
a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate, at no cost to the family. Some veterans may also be
eligible for Burial Allowances. There are not any benefits available to spouses and dependents buried in a
private cemetery.
