How to file VA survivor benefit claims — DIC, Survivors Pension and accrued benefits on one form, plus burial, CHAMPVA, education and home loan benefits
VA pays several separate benefits to the family of a deceased veteran. Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a tax-free monthly payment when the death was in service, from a service-connected condition, or after a long period of total disability; it is not means-tested. Survivors Pension is a needs-based monthly payment for the unremarried spouse or unmarried child of a wartime veteran whose income and net worth fall under limits set by Congress. Accrued benefits are money VA owed the veteran at death. All three are claimed on one form, VA Form 21P-534EZ. Burial allowances, CHAMPVA health coverage, Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance, the Fry Scholarship and a VA home loan certificate each have their own application. Filing within a year of the death protects the start date of DIC and pension, and the accrued-benefits claim must be filed within that year.
What you'll need
- VA Form 21P-534EZ (DIC, Survivors Pension and accrued benefits); VA Form 21P-534a for an in-service death (through the casualty assistance officer); VA Form 21P-535 for parents
- Certified copy of the death certificate; the veteran's DD-214 or other separation document
- Marriage certificate, any divorce decrees or death certificates ending earlier marriages, and children's birth certificates (school enrollment proof for a child 18–23)
- For a Survivors Pension: income and asset information for you and any dependent children; for an accrued-benefits claim, receipts for last expenses if you are claiming reimbursement
- A free accredited representative (county veterans service officer or VSO)
Step-by-step
Step 1: Sort out which monthly benefit applies
DIC: the service member died on active duty, active or inactive duty training; or the veteran died from a service-connected illness or injury; or the veteran had a VA rating of totally disabling (including individual unemployability) for at least 10 years before death, for at least 5 years from release from active duty, or for at least 1 year as a former POW who died after September 30, 1999. Survivors Pension: the veteran served at least 90 days with at least one day in a wartime period (24 months or the full period of the call-up if they entered after September 7, 1980), did not receive a dishonorable discharge, and you are the unremarried spouse who lived with the veteran until death (or an unmarried child under 18, under 23 in school, or disabled before 18) with yearly income and a net worth under the limit — $163,699 from December 1, 2025 to November 30, 2026, not counting your house, car and most furnishings. A surviving spouse who qualifies for both receives the larger one.
Reference: https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/survivor-compensation/
Step 2: File VA Form 21P-534EZ once
The form applies for DIC, Survivors Pension and accrued benefits at the same time; VA decides each. File online, mail it to Department of Veterans Affairs, Pension Intake Center, PO Box 5365, Janesville, WI 53547-5365, bring it to a VA regional office, or file through a free accredited representative. If the death occurred on active duty, the casualty assistance officer helps you file VA Form 21P-534a instead; parents use VA Form 21P-535. Accrued benefits — amounts VA owed the veteran under a decision or a pending claim at death — are paid to the spouse, children or dependent parents in that order, or to whoever paid the last illness and burial expenses up to the amount spent.
Step 3: Mind the dates that affect back pay
If VA receives the DIC or Survivors Pension claim within one year of the veteran's death, payments start from the first day of the month of death; after that, from the date VA receives the claim (38 CFR 3.400). An accrued-benefits claim must be filed within one year after the death (38 CFR 3.1000), and a separate claim is not needed if you filed the 21P-534EZ. A non-service-connected burial allowance must be claimed within two years of the burial; there is no time limit for a service-connected death, a plot or transportation allowance, or a veteran who died in VA care. If you cannot gather everything at once, file the form (or an intent to file) first and add evidence later.
Step 4: Add health, education and housing benefits
Burial: VA Form 21P-530EZ (burial allowance, plot and transportation). CHAMPVA: the spouse or child of a veteran who was rated permanently and totally disabled or died from a service-connected disability (or on active duty) applies on VA Form 10-10d mailed to PO Box 137, Spring City, PA 19475; Medicare Parts A and B are required when you are eligible for them; 800-733-8387. Education: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) or the Fry Scholarship — both on VA Form 22-5490; a child eligible for both chooses one, and the Fry Scholarship generally pays more for a post-9/11 line-of-duty death. Housing: an unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who died in service or from a service-connected disability (or who was rated totally disabled before death) can request a VA home loan Certificate of Eligibility with VA Form 26-1817.
Reference: https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/survivor-compensation/
Step 5: Know the current amounts
DIC effective December 1, 2025: $1,699.36 a month for a surviving spouse, plus $360.85 for the 8-year provision, $421.00 for each child under 18, $421.00 for Aid and Attendance, $197.22 for Housebound, and a $359.00 transitional benefit for the first two years when there are children under 18. Survivors Pension is paid as the difference between your countable income and a yearly maximum (MAPR): $11,699 for a surviving spouse with no dependents, $15,311 with one dependent child, $14,298 if Housebound, $18,697 with Aid and Attendance, and $2,984 for a qualified surviving child alone, with more for each additional child. DIC and VA pension are not taxed. If you also receive the military Survivor Benefit Plan, DIC is no longer deducted from it — the offset was fully eliminated for payments from January 2023.
Critical tips
- A county veterans service officer can file every survivor claim for free and knows which ones apply to you: warriorsfund.org/find-cvso.
- Order several certified death certificates — VA, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, insurers and the Social Security Administration each want one.
- Vet Centers offer free bereavement counseling to the family of a service member who died on duty and to survivors of veterans: 877-927-8387.
- Survivors of a veteran who died from a PACT Act presumptive condition can file for DIC now even if an earlier claim was denied.
- Help is available any time: dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255 — the Veterans Crisis Line also serves family members.