If you’re the survivor of a veteran who died from a service-related injury or illness, or the surviving spouse, child, or parent of a servicemember who died in the line of duty, you may be able to get a tax-free monetary benefit called VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (VA DIC).

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a monthly benefit. It is paid to eligible survivors of service members who died as a result of a service-connected injury or disease or died while on active duty, active duty for training or inactive duty training. Also qualifying are Veterans who did not die as a result of a service-connected injury or disease but were totally disabled by a service-connected disability for at least 10 years before death.

Surviving spouses may be eligible for DIC benefits if they are a surviving spouse who married the deceased Veteran before Jan. 1, 1957 or married a Veteran who died from a service-connected injury or disease, as long as the marriage began within 15 years of discharge and was married to the deceased Veteran for at least one year.

You must show the VA that the veteran’s death was service connected. If he/she died as a result of an already service-connected disability or in the line of duty, this process should be relatively straightforward. But there are a few VA regulations meant to speed up the process that it might be helpful to know.

If the death certificate lists the cause of death as one of the deceased veteran’s service-connected conditions, the VA should grant service connection without further investigation. If the veteran’s service-connected condition was a contributory cause of death, the VA should presume that it contributed “substantially and materially” to the veteran’s death, and so grant service connection without further investigation.

If the cause of death is a “presumptive” disability, which are diseases known to be caused by specific exposures such as Agent Orange, and the evidence shows the veteran meets the particular presumptive criteria, the VA should grant service connection without further investigation.

If you have questions about surviving spouse benefits, contact Jerry Seiner at the Veterans Service Office in the courthouse in Lake Andes at 605-487-7691 or by cell at 605-481-1338. Courthouse office hours are 8:00 – 4:30 on Monday and Tuesday and 8:00 – 12:00 on Wednesday.