How to file for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) — who qualifies, the forms, where to send them and the current monthly rates
DIC is a tax-free monthly payment to eligible survivors. The death must have been in the line of duty on active duty, training or inactive-duty training; from a service-connected illness or injury; or of a veteran rated totally disabled (including individual unemployability) for at least 10 years immediately before death, for at least 5 years from release from active duty, or for at least 1 year as a former prisoner of war who died after September 30, 1999. A surviving spouse qualifies by marriage before January 1, 1957, marriage within 15 years of discharge from the period in which the condition began or worsened, at least one year of marriage, or a child with the veteran, and must have lived with the veteran until death unless separated through no fault of the survivor. Remarriage after age 57 (on or after December 16, 2003) or after age 55 (on or after January 5, 2021) does not end eligibility. Unmarried children under 18, or under 23 in school, and parents with low income can also qualify. The basic spouse rate effective December 1, 2025 is $1,699.36 a month, with added amounts for the 8-year provision ($360.85), each child under 18 ($421.00), Aid and Attendance ($421.00), Housebound ($197.22) and a two-year transitional benefit ($359.00).
What you'll need
- VA Form 21P-534EZ (surviving spouse or child), VA Form 21P-534a (in-service death, through the military casualty assistance officer), or VA Form 21P-535 (parents)
- The veteran's death certificate and, for a service-connected death, the medical evidence linking the cause of death to service (if not already in VA's records)
- Your marriage certificate and, if either of you was married before, the divorce decrees or death certificates ending those marriages; children's birth certificates
- The veteran's DD-214 or other separation document (VA can usually obtain it)
- A free accredited representative (CVSO or VSO)
Step-by-step
Step 1: Confirm that the death qualifies
DIC requires one of these: the service member died while on active duty, active duty for training or inactive-duty training; the veteran died from a service-connected illness or injury; or the veteran died from a cause not related to service but had a VA rating of totally disabling (including individual unemployability) for at least 10 years immediately before death, for at least 5 years from release from active duty until death, or for at least 1 year before death as a former POW who died after September 30, 1999. If the cause of death was never service-connected, your claim asks VA to decide that question, so include the medical evidence.
Step 2: Confirm your own eligibility
Surviving spouse: married the veteran before January 1, 1957, or within 15 years of discharge from the period of service in which the qualifying condition began or got worse, or were married for at least one year, or had a child with the veteran; and lived with the veteran continuously until death (or, if separated, were not at fault). Remarriage ends eligibility unless it occurred on or after December 16, 2003 at age 57 or older, or on or after January 5, 2021 at age 55 or older, or the later marriage ended. Surviving child: unmarried, not included on the spouse's DIC, and under 18 or 18–22 and attending school. Surviving parent: biological, adoptive or foster parent whose income is below VA's limit.
Step 3: File the right form
Surviving spouses and children apply on VA Form 21P-534EZ (online, by mail, in person at a VA regional office, or through a representative). If the death occurred on active duty, the military casualty assistance officer helps you file VA Form 21P-534a instead. Parents apply on VA Form 21P-535. Mail paper forms to: Department of Veterans Affairs, Pension Intake Center, PO Box 5365, Janesville, WI 53547-5365. One 21P-534EZ also serves as a claim for Survivors Pension and accrued benefits, so VA considers all three.
Step 4: Protect the effective date
If VA receives the claim within one year of the veteran's death, DIC is paid from the first day of the month of death; otherwise it starts from the date VA receives the claim. If you need time to gather records, file the form (or an intent to file) first and send the evidence after. VA will tell you if it needs more evidence; you can also check the claim's status online or at 800-827-1000 (TTY 711).
Step 5: Know the current rates
Effective December 1, 2025: the basic surviving spouse rate is $1,699.36 a month. Add $360.85 if the veteran was rated totally disabling for the 8 full years before death and you were married those 8 years (the 8-year provision); $421.00 for each child under 18 (and a $359.00 transitional benefit for the first two years after the death when there are children under 18); $421.00 for Aid and Attendance; $197.22 for the Housebound allowance. Children receiving DIC in their own right, and parents, have separate rate tables. DIC is not taxed and does not count as income for VA pension purposes.
Critical tips
- A surviving spouse who also receives the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) no longer has DIC subtracted from it — the offset was fully eliminated for payments from January 2023 onward.
- Survivors of a veteran who died of a PACT Act presumptive condition can file now even if an earlier claim was denied.
- Other benefits to claim at the same time: the burial allowance (VA Form 21P-530EZ), CHAMPVA health coverage (VA Form 10-10d), Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (VA Form 22-5490) and the Fry Scholarship.
- A county veterans service officer can file the claim for free and track it: warriorsfund.org/find-cvso.
- Help is available any time: dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255.
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