New Help for VA Survivors: What’s Changing in 2025
4 min read
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced new changes to improve how it supports survivors and dependents of deceased Veterans and servicemembers. The updates are designed to make it easier to apply for benefits, reduce processing times, and ensure families can get the support they qualify for without unnecessary delays.
These changes include moving a key survivor support office to a higher level within the VA, launching a new outreach team to provide personal assistance, and using automation to speed up claims for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC).
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Key Takeaways:
The VA says it’s taking a “three-pronged approach” to help survivors and dependents of deceased veterans and servicemembers get through the claims process faster and with more support. The plan includes:
Moving the Office of Survivors Assistance back to the Office of the VA Secretary
Launching a new “white-glove” outreach team to guide survivors through DIC claims
Expanding the use of automation to speed up DIC applications and payments
The Office of Survivors Assistance will report directly to the VA Secretary, streamlining processes.
Until recently, the Office of Survivors Assistance (OSA) was housed within the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), adding extra layers between OSA and top VA leadership. Now, with the latest changes in 2025, it’s moving back under the direct supervision of the VA Secretary.
This change reverses a 2021 decision and restores OSA’s original role, as outlined in the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2008: to serve as a central advisor on all matters affecting survivors and dependents—not just a narrow set of benefits.
While under VBA’s Pension and Fiduciary Service, OSA staff only had access to pension and DIC records, limiting their ability to help with other benefits like VA health care, educational benefits, or burial services. Returning to the Secretary’s office allows for better coordination and more complete support for survivors.
What this means:
OSA will now advise the VA Secretary directly
Survivor-related issues may be addressed more quickly
Programs for survivors will have higher visibility
A dedicated team of five full-time staff will focus on survivor-related policy
This move may not change how people apply for VA survivor benefits, but it strengthens OSA’s role in shaping and improving the services they rely on.
A new ‘white-glove’ survivor outreach team will offer one-on-one support.
The VA is now in the process of launching a new survivor outreach team based at the Philadelphia VA Regional Office. This specialized team—referred to as a “white-glove” service—will work directly with survivors applying for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). Their goal is to provide one-on-one help and reduce the confusion that often slows down or blocks the claims process.
In the past, many survivors have struggled to understand what documents to submit, how to prove eligibility, or what to do if their claim is delayed. The new team is designed to solve these issues by giving survivors a single point of contact who is trained to walk them through every step, from application to final decision.
What this means:
Survivors will be assigned a dedicated VA staff member to help with their DIC claim
The team will provide personalized guidance on eligibility, forms, and supporting documents
Survivors will get help resolving issues faster—like missing paperwork or unclear service records
The team’s goal is to increase the number of accurate, timely approvals for eligible survivors
This level of support is new. Rather than having to navigate the process alone or wait on hold with general VA phone lines, survivors will have a trained expert who can answer questions, fix problems, and make the process smoother from start to finish.
The VA looks to add more AI/automation to speed up DIC benefit processing.
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a monthly, tax-free payment from the VA to eligible survivors of Veterans or servicemembers who died in the line of duty or from a service-connected condition. It’s an important benefit—but the process to apply has been known to be slow and confusing.
To speed things up, the VA is now using automation to handle more parts of the DIC claims process. These tools—powered by rules-based systems and artificial intelligence—currently process over 1,000 DIC-related payments and adjustments every day.
The automation is being used to:
Review forms and documents for missing information
Verify service records and death certificates
Trigger routine payments or adjustments
In some cases, this has already helped the VA reduce processing times from several months to just a few weeks.
More automation improvements are expected through late 2025 and into 2026, including tools that support more complex claims and reduce the need for manual paperwork. These upgrades are designed to make it easier for survivors to apply, track their claims, and get accurate decisions more quickly.
These changes are meant to bring about:
Faster decisions for eligible survivors
Fewer delays caused by paperwork issues
More time for staff to focus on complicated cases