Survivor Benefits

Death Pension

This is an income supplement program for the low-income surviving spouse and/or children of a veteran. To be eligible, the deceased veteran must have served during wartime, the surviving spouse and or children must have income and net worth within specified limits and the veteran’s death must not have been related to military service.

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)

DIC is paid to surviving spouses when the veteran dies as a result of one of the following conditions:

• A service-connected disability or a condition directly related to a service-connected disability.
• An injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty while on inactive duty training.
• A disease or injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty while on active duty or active duty for training.

Survivors are also eligible for DIC if the veteran was totally disabled from service-connected conditions at the time of death, even though their service-connected conditions might not have caused their deaths. In this example the survivor qualifies if the veteran was:

• Continuously rated for a period of 10 years immediately preceding death.
• Continuously rated totally disabled from the date of military discharge and for at least 5 years immediately preceding death.
• A former Prisoner of war (POW) who died after Sept. 30, 1999, and who was continuously rated for at least 1 year immediately preceding death.

For additional information and to find out if you may be eligible for death pension or DIC, please contact our office at (910) 798-7611 or visit: US Department of Veterans Affairs – Veterans Benefits