Understanding VA Survivor Benefits: A Guide for Families

Losing a loved one who served is hard enough. The last thing you need is the stress of figuring out what help is out there. To make it easier, VA survivor benefits can support families during this time.

Many benefits are designed to ease money worries and provide long-term stability. They include monthly payments, help with school, health care, and more. These benefits can make a big difference during a hard time.

In this article, we'll walk you through the key survivor benefits, explaining who qualifies, how to apply, and what kind of support you can expect.

To learn more about all the benefits available to you and your family, sign up now for BenefitKarma!

Key Summary: VA Survivor Benefits at a Glance

Most survivor benefits come from the VA, and the largest monthly payment is DIC at $1,699.36 for a surviving spouse. This gives families a quick snapshot of the main support available before we look at each program. Amounts below are current as of September 2026.

 1. Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)

• What It Is: A tax-free monthly payment for the surviving spouse, children, or parents of a service member who died in the line of duty. It also covers survivors of a veteran who died from a service-connected injury or illness. In some cases, it covers survivors of a veteran who was rated totally disabled for a set time before death, even if the death wasn't service-connected. (That's usually 10 years before death, or 5 years right after leaving the military.)
• Who Qualifies: Surviving spouses who meet VA marriage rules, children under 18 (or up to 23 if in school), and some parents with low income. A spouse who remarries before age 55 usually loses DIC. If you remarry at 55 or older, you can keep it. (Congress is looking at a bill called the Love Lives On Act that would remove this age rule, but it hasn't become law yet.)
• How to Apply: Spouses and children use VA Form 21P-534EZ. Parents use VA Form 21P-535. You can apply online at VA.gov, by mail, or in person at a VA regional office.
• How Much You Can Receive: As of December 1, 2025, the base rate for a surviving spouse is $1,699.36 per month. You get $421 more for each child under 18. Extra amounts may also apply, such as for Aid and Attendance or if the veteran was totally disabled for 8 years before death. Rates usually increase each December with the cost-of-living adjustment.

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2. Survivors Pension

• What It Is: A monthly payment for surviving spouses and children of wartime veterans who have low income and limited savings. Unlike DIC, the veteran's death does not need to be related to their service.
• Who Qualifies: Surviving spouses who have not remarried, and unmarried children under 18 (or up to 23 if in school, or any age if they became permanently disabled before 18). The veteran must have served during a wartime period and not have a dishonorable discharge. Your net worth must be at or below $163,699 (through November 30, 2026). Your home and car don't count toward this limit.
• How to Apply: Use VA Form 21P-534EZ. This is the same form used for DIC, and the VA will review both. You can apply online at VA.gov, by mail, or at a VA regional office.
• How Much You Can Receive: It depends on your income. The VA sets a yearly maximum and pays the difference between that and your countable income. As of December 1, 2025, the maximum for a surviving spouse with no children is $11,699 a year, or about $974 a month. It goes up to $18,697 a year (about $1,558 a month) if you qualify for Aid and Attendance. Medical and care costs you pay can lower your countable income, which can raise your payment.
• Good to Know: You can't get both DIC and Survivors Pension at the same time. If you qualify for both, the VA pays the higher amount.

3. Educational Assistance (Chapter 35 and the Fry Scholarship)

• What It Is: Chapter 35 is also called Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). It pays a monthly allowance to help with college, trade school, job training, or apprenticeships. It covers families of veterans who died from a service-connected condition, died in the line of duty, or are permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition. Most people who started school on or after August 1, 2018 get up to 36 months of benefits. (People who started before then may get up to 45 months.)
• Who Qualifies: Spouses and children of eligible veterans. For most children who became eligible, turned 18, or finished high school on or after August 1, 2023, there is no longer a time limit. Spouses also have no time limit if the veteran's death or disability rating occurred on or after August 1, 2023. For earlier cases, spouses usually have 10 years (or 20 years if the veteran died on active duty).
• How to Apply: Fill out VA Form 22-5490 online at VA.gov, by mail, or at a VA regional office.
• How Much You Can Receive: For full-time college, DEA pays $1,574 a month through September 30, 2026. Starting October 1, 2026, that goes up to $1,621 a month. Part-time students get less. The money is paid to the student, not the school.
• Fry Scholarship: If a service member died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, their spouse and children may qualify for the Fry Scholarship instead. It gives up to 36 months of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, which can cover tuition, a housing allowance, and books. You apply with the same VA Form 22-5490. If you qualify for both DEA and Fry, you usually have to pick one, and you can't change your mind later. (Children whose parent died before August 1, 2011 may be able to use both, one at a time.)

4. VA Home Loan Guaranty

• What It Is: A VA-backed home loan that helps surviving spouses buy, build, or refinance a home. Most VA loans require no down payment, and they often offer lower interest rates than other loans. Surviving spouses who get DIC also don't have to pay the VA funding fee, which can save thousands of dollars.
• Who Qualifies: Surviving spouses of veterans who died in service or from a service-connected disability. It also covers spouses of service members who are missing in action or were held as prisoners of war. In some cases, it covers spouses of veterans who were rated totally disabled before death, even if the death wasn't service-connected. You usually can't have remarried. Exception: If you remarried on or after December 16, 2003, and were 57 or older when you did, you may still qualify.
• How to Apply: Request a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) through VA.gov, or ask your lender to request one for you. (The old eBenefits site has been retired.) Surviving spouses who don't get DIC may need to use VA Form 26-1817.
• How Much You Can Receive: The VA doesn't lend you the money. Instead, it guarantees part of the loan, which helps you get better terms from a private lender. If you're fully eligible, there's no VA limit on how much you can borrow, but your lender will still check your credit and income.

5. The Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA)

• What It Is: A health care program that helps pay for medical care for certain veterans' families. It covers spouses and children of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition, or who died from one. It also covers survivors of service members who died in the line of duty (if they don't qualify for TRICARE).
• Who Qualifies: Spouses and children who don't qualify for TRICARE. Children can usually stay covered until 18, or until 23 if in school. Surviving spouses who remarry before age 55 usually lose coverage.
• How to Apply: Complete VA Form 10-10d and submit it online, by mail, or by fax. You'll need to send documents like a marriage or birth certificate. If you have other health insurance, you'll also need VA Form 10-7959c.
• How Much You Can Receive: CHAMPVA works a lot like health insurance. It covers much of the cost of approved care. You usually pay a yearly deductible and a share of your bills. If you have other health insurance, including Medicare, CHAMPVA usually pays after that plan.

6. Burial Benefits

• What It Is: Eligible veterans can be buried in a VA national cemetery at no cost. They can also get a free government headstone or marker, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate. The VA may also pay a burial allowance to help cover funeral and burial costs.
• Who Qualifies: Veterans who were not dishonorably discharged. Spouses and dependent children can often be buried in a national cemetery too, even if they die before the veteran. For a non-service-connected death, the burial allowance usually requires that the veteran was receiving a VA pension or compensation, or died while in VA care.
• How to Apply: To plan a burial in a national cemetery, call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117. To get a burial allowance, submit VA Form 21P-530EZ. For a non-service-connected death, you usually must file within 2 years. There's no time limit if the death was service-connected.
• How Much You Can Receive: For a service-connected death on or after September 11, 2001, the VA pays up to $2,000. For a non-service-connected death on or after October 1, 2025, it pays up to $1,002 for burial, plus up to $1,002 for a burial plot if the veteran isn't buried in a national cemetery. These amounts usually go up each October. Many surviving spouses already listed on the veteran's VA records receive this payment automatically.

7. Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) Annuity

• What It Is: A monthly payment for the surviving spouse or children of a military retiree who enrolled in SBP. This benefit comes from the Department of Defense (DoD), not the VA. SBP also covers families of service members who die in the line of duty while on active duty, and they don't have to sign up.
• Who Qualifies: Surviving spouses and children of retirees who chose SBP coverage, and survivors of service members who died on active duty. A spouse who remarries before age 55 usually loses SBP. If you remarry at 55 or older, you can keep it.
• How to Apply: For a retiree's death, contact the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) and fill out DD Form 2656-7. For a death on active duty, your Casualty Assistance Officer will help you apply.
• How Much You Can Receive: SBP usually pays up to 55% of the retired pay the service member chose to cover. Big news for many families: since January 1, 2023, surviving spouses can get their full SBP and full DIC at the same time. In the past, SBP was cut by the amount of DIC, which some people called the "widow's tax." Keep in mind that SBP payments are taxable, but DIC is not.

8. Aid and Attendance and Housebound Benefits

• What It Is: Extra money added to your DIC or Survivors Pension if you need help with daily life. Aid and Attendance is for people who need help with things like bathing, dressing, or eating; are bedridden; or live in a nursing home. Housebound benefits are for people who mostly can't leave home because of a lasting disability. You can get one or the other, but not both.
• Who Qualifies: Surviving spouses who get DIC or Survivors Pension and meet the medical rules. (Veterans can also get these benefits with their own VA pension or compensation.)
• How to Apply: Have a doctor fill out VA Form 21-2680. If you live in a nursing home, use VA Form 21-0779 instead. You can send it with your DIC or pension application, or on its own if you already get benefits.
• How Much You Can Receive: If you get DIC, Aid and Attendance adds $421 a month, and Housebound adds $197.22 a month. If you get Survivors Pension, Aid and Attendance raises the yearly maximum to $18,697 (about $1,558 a month) for a spouse with no children. Housebound raises it to $14,298 (about $1,191 a month).

9. Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) Death Benefit

• What It Is: A life insurance payment to the people a veteran named as beneficiaries, if the veteran had VGLI when they died. VGLI is the policy many veterans switch to after leaving the service, after their military life insurance (SGLI) ends. If a service member dies while on active duty, their SGLI policy pays out instead.
• Who Qualifies: The beneficiaries the veteran named on their policy.
• How to Apply: Fill out form SGLV 8283 (Claim for Death Benefits) and send it to the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (OSGLI) with a copy of the death certificate. You can mail or fax it. For active-duty deaths, your Casualty Assistance Officer will help you file the SGLI claim.
• How Much You Can Receive: It depends on how much coverage the veteran chose, up to $500,000. You can usually choose to get the money all at once or in monthly payments over 36 months. Beneficiaries can also get free financial counseling to help plan how to use the money.

10. State-Specific Survivor Benefits

• What It Is: Many states offer extra help for military and veteran survivors. This might include free or reduced college tuition, property tax breaks, state income tax breaks, hunting and fishing licenses, or extra cash payments. Benefits vary a lot from state to state.
• Who Qualifies: Each state and benefit has its own rules. Many are for survivors of service members killed in action, or of veterans rated 100% disabled.
• How to Apply: Contact your state's Department of Veterans Affairs (sometimes called Veterans Services) to learn what's available and how to apply.
• How Much You Can Receive: It varies widely by state and benefit.

Not sure what you qualify for?

These benefits exist to support families like yours, but figuring them out can feel overwhelming. Here are a few tips to make it easier:

• Apply Soon: If you apply for DIC within one year of the veteran's death, your payments can usually start from the month of death. You can also file an Intent to File (VA Form 21-0966) to hold your start date while you gather paperwork.
• One Form Covers a Lot: VA Form 21P-534EZ lets the VA check you for DIC, Survivors Pension, and certain money the VA owed the veteran at the time of death, all at once.
• Lean on Support: The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) offers free help 24/7 for anyone grieving the loss of a military loved one at 800-959-8277.

Benefit amounts usually change each year, so check VA.gov for the latest rates. To learn more about all the benefits available to you and your family, sign up now for BenefitKarma!