Death & Survivor Benefits

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation

Monthly tax-free payment to a surviving spouse, child, or parent after a service-connected death, or in defined cases after the death of a totally disabled veteran.

Also called: DIC, survivor compensation, dependency and indemnity.

For: Child, survivor.

Where it applies

Applies in states and territories.

Federal

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is paid to survivors. It is not Survivors Pension. DIC follows a service-connected death, or a death that was not service-connected after VA had rated the veteran totally disabled from service-connected conditions for a period the law sets. Some former-prisoner and rating-duration rules sit in that second path. A surviving spouse, eligible child, or, in some cases, a parent can be the payee. A survivor can read this entry with no veteran on the account. Surviving spouse rates, effective December 1, 2025 Basic monthly rate: $1,699.36 Added under the 8-year provision: $360.85 Added for each child under 18: $421.00 Added for Aid and Attendance: $421.00 Added for Housebound: $197.22 Transitional benefit for the first 2 years with a child under 18: $359.00 The 8-year provision applies when the veteran was rated totally disabled for the 8 years before death and the spouse was married to the veteran throughout. Children alone and parents have separate tables.

Thresholds

No rating or income gate is recorded. Read the detail and the official source.

Documents the source lists

What the official source lists for an application, and where to get each document. It is a reference read from the source, not a full list of what the office may ask for; check with the office or an accredited representative before you apply. Needed means the source asks for it; Helps means the source calls it optional or says it speeds things up.

Needed Application for DIC, Survivors Pension, and/or Accrued Benefits (VA Form 21P-534EZ)
If you are the surviving spouse or child of a veteran.
Where to get it Download it from VA.gov, or ask a VA regional office or an accredited representative for a copy.
Listed by VA, About VA D.I.C. for spouses, dependents, and parents read 2026-10-10
Needed Application for DIC by a Surviving Spouse or Child (VA Form 21P-534a)
If the service member died on active duty; the casualty assistance officer helps.
Where to get it Download it from VA.gov, or ask a VA regional office or an accredited representative for a copy.
Listed by VA, About VA D.I.C. for spouses, dependents, and parents read 2026-10-10
Needed Application for DIC by Parent(s) (VA Form 21P-535)
If you are a surviving parent.
Where to get it Download it from VA.gov, or ask a VA regional office or an accredited representative for a copy.
Listed by VA, About VA D.I.C. for spouses, dependents, and parents read 2026-10-10
Needed Evidence about the death, such as military service records, doctor’s reports and medical test results
Where to get it The doctors and hospitals that gave the care. VA’s own records come from your VA facility’s release of information office or My HealtheVet.
Listed by VA, About VA D.I.C. for spouses, dependents, and parents read 2026-10-10

Figures

Each figure is dated with the day it was read. A local figure moves whenever the statute or the local ordinance does, so confirm it with the office that grants it before you rely on it. Statute verified gives the day the weekly section check last found the statute standing on the legislature’s own code site; a figure without it rests on a statute the check does not read yet.

Dated figures for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
Figure	Amount	Read from
Surviving spouse basic monthly rate, effective December 1, 2025	$1,699.3638 U.S.C. 1311(a)	Current DIC rates for spouses and dependentsRead 2026-10-08

Sources

Dependency and Indemnity CompensationOfficial
Current DIC rates for spouses and dependentsOfficial

Legislation

Law the tracker is watching for this entry. See the legislation tracker for every jurisdiction.

Public Law 117-168 Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act of 2022

Needs reviewEnactedProgram created Scope changed

Signed 2022-08-10

Introduced Done, 2021-12-09, step 1 of 6
In committee Done, date not recorded, step 2 of 6
Passed one chamber Done, 2022-02-17, step 3 of 6
Passed both chambers Done, 2022-08-02, step 4 of 6
Signed by the President Done, 2022-08-10, step 5 of 6
In effect Done, 2022-08-10, step 6 of 6

Expands benefits Created presumptions of service connection for burn pit and other toxic exposures and added Agent Orange conditions.

Created the toxic exposure presumptions: burn pit and airborne hazard conditions, added cancers, and further Agent Orange conditions. A veteran who was denied before the presumption existed can be granted now, and a survivor can qualify on cause of death alone. The federal entries in this catalog describe compensation, health care, and DIC without describing the presumptive list, so a reader cannot tell from them that the gate moved.

Sponsor

Touches 38 U.S.C. § 1119 · 38 U.S.C. § 1120

Also touches

Official record

Updated

Last updated 2026-10-08.

What changed then:

New figure: Surviving spouse basic monthly rate, effective December 1, 2025, $1,699.36.
Link updated for “Dependency and Indemnity Compensation”.
New official source added: “Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents”.
And 2 more changes.

Request an update

Out of date, a broken link, or something else wrong? Say what you found, and an editor checks it against the official source.

Disclaimer

VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.