Survivor & Caregiver Benefits: A Family Guide

Family · Updated July 2026 · 17 min read

This guide explains the main benefits available to surviving spouses, children and family caregivers of veterans: DIC, Survivors Pension, the Survivor Benefit Plan, burial and memorial benefits, survivor education benefits, and the VA caregiver stipend. Every rate and rule below was checked against the official VA or Defense Department page in July 2026. Free, accredited help with all of these claims exists, and you should never pay to have a basic claim filed.

Start here: free help, and why it matters

Before anything else: accredited help with these claims is free. VA states plainly that the services an accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representative provides on your VA benefit claims are always free. Many counties and states also employ County or State Veterans Service Officers who assist survivors at no charge — check whether your county has one, since coverage varies.

VA-accredited attorneys and claims agents are a different category. They are permitted to charge fees, but only after VA's regional office has issued a decision on the claim and the claimant has filed a notice of disagreement (a formal written objection to that decision) on or after June 20, 2007. They may not charge for filling out or preparing an initial claim form, and they may not charge simply to assess whether you might qualify for something. Anyone asking for money, or for a share of your retroactive benefits, before VA has decided a claim is operating outside VA's rules.

This guide states dollar figures only where an official page confirmed them in July 2026. Where a figure was about to reset, we point to the official table instead. Always confirm the current number on VA's own rate page before relying on it.

Two different survivor payments: DIC and Survivors Pension

Families often use "survivor benefits" as one phrase, but VA runs two separate monthly cash programs and they work very differently. Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is paid because of how the veteran died or how disabled the veteran was. It is not based on the family's income. Survivors Pension is a needs-based payment for the low-income surviving spouse or child of a wartime veteran. A survivor cannot draw both at once; VA pays the greater benefit, which is usually DIC.

DIC for a surviving spouse is a flat monthly amount, not a percentage of the veteran's old disability check. The base rate is $1,699.36 per month, effective December 1, 2025, for survivors of veterans who died on or after January 1, 1993, and it is tax exempt. Amounts are added on top of that base in specific situations: $360.85 more under the "8-year provision" (the veteran held a totally disabling service-connected rating for the full 8 years before death and the spouse was married to them for those same 8 years), $421.00 more for Aid and Attendance (the survivor needs another person's help with daily activities such as bathing or eating), $197.22 more for a Housebound allowance (the survivor cannot leave home because of disability), and $421.00 more for each dependent child under 18. If there is at least one child under 18, a transitional benefit of $359.00 per month is added for the first two years after the death, then stops. Rates rise with the annual cost-of-living adjustment each December 1, so these figures are expected to change on December 1, 2026.

Survivors Pension is capped by a Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) — the ceiling VA uses for your household size and care needs. VA subtracts the household's countable income from the MAPR and pays the difference in monthly installments. Effective December 1, 2025, the MAPR is $11,699 for a surviving spouse with no dependents, $15,311 with one dependent child, $14,298 with a Housebound allowance and $18,697 with Aid and Attendance (both figures for a spouse with no dependents). Each additional child adds $2,984. There is also a net worth ceiling of $163,699 that applies from December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026; net worth excludes the primary residence, a vehicle and most home furnishings. Two deductions matter a great deal in practice: unreimbursed medical expenses can be subtracted once they exceed 5% of your MAPR, and a child's own wages are excluded up to $16,100 a year.

Survivors Pension also has a service test that DIC does not. The veteran generally must have served at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a recognized wartime period if they entered active duty on or before September 7, 1980, or at least 24 months (or the full period for which they were called or ordered to active duty, with some exceptions) with at least one day during wartime if they entered after that date. A separate exception applies to officers who started active duty after October 16, 1981 without at least 24 months of prior active duty. The veteran's discharge must not have been dishonorable. The surviving spouse must not have remarried after the veteran's death. A child qualifies if unmarried and under 18, age 18 to 23 and attending a VA-approved school, or unable to care for themselves because of a disability that began before age 18.

DIC eligibility, remarriage, and why the filing date matters

A surviving spouse can qualify for DIC in three broad situations: the service member died while on active duty; the veteran died from a service-connected illness or injury; or the veteran held a totally disabling service-connected rating for a qualifying length of time before death. That last route has specific time requirements, and this is where families most often assume they qualify when they do not. The totally disabling rating must have been in place for at least 10 years immediately before death, or since the veteran's discharge and for at least the 5 years immediately before death, or for at least 1 year immediately before death if the veteran was a former prisoner of war who died after September 30, 1999. A rating of total disability based on individual unemployability — where VA pays at the 100% rate because service-connected conditions prevent substantially gainful work, even though the combined rating is lower — can satisfy the "totally disabling" element, but the same time periods still have to be met.

The marriage itself must also meet one of three tests: the marriage lasted at least one year, the couple had a child together, or the marriage took place within 15 years of the discharge from the period of service in which the qualifying condition began or got worse. Separately, VA requires that the survivor lived with the veteran without a break until the death, or, if they were separated, that the survivor was not at fault for the separation.

Remarriage used to end DIC permanently. It no longer does in every case. A surviving spouse keeps or regains DIC if they remarried on or after December 16, 2003 at age 57 or older, or remarried on or after January 5, 2021 at age 55 or older. Remarriage before reaching those ages generally still ends DIC. Anyone who stopped receiving DIC after a remarriage in the past should have these two rules checked rather than assuming the benefit is gone.

Surviving children can receive DIC in their own right when they are not included on a surviving spouse's award. The child must be unmarried and under 18, or under 23 if attending school. A child who is permanently incapable of self-support because of a disability that began before age 18 can be paid as a "helpless child" past those age limits. Surviving parents can also qualify for DIC, but that benefit is income-limited.

Filing dates carry real money. If VA receives the claim within one year of the veteran's death, benefits can start from the first day of the month in which the veteran died. File later and the start date is generally the date VA receives the claim, and the months in between are lost. The main forms are VA Form 21P-534EZ, "Application for DIC, Survivors Pension, and/or Accrued Benefits" (accrued benefits are amounts VA owed the veteran but had not paid at death), used by a surviving spouse or child of a veteran; VA Form 21P-534a, "Application for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation by a Surviving Spouse or Child — In-Service Death Only," used when the service member died on active duty; and VA Form 21P-535 for a surviving parent.

The Survivor Benefit Plan and how it now works with DIC

The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) is a Defense Department program, not a VA program. Military retired pay stops the day the retiree dies. SBP converts part of it into a lifetime, inflation-adjusted monthly annuity for a surviving spouse or child. At retirement the retiree elects a "base amount" — the slice of retired pay the annuity is calculated from — and the standard surviving-spouse annuity is 55% of that base amount. Reserve-component (RCSBP) annuities can be less than 55%, so a Reserve or Guard retiree's family should confirm their own figure with DFAS.

The premium is taken from retired pay before taxes. For members who first entered a uniformed service on or after March 1, 1990, the spouse premium is 6.5% of the base amount. Members who entered before that date fall under a different, older formula, so do not assume 6.5% applies to a retiree from an earlier era.

SBP enrollment is close to automatic and hard to undo. Full basic SBP coverage for a spouse and children applies at retirement unless a different valid election is made, and a married member may not reduce or decline spouse coverage without the spouse's written consent. After retirement, elections generally cannot be cancelled or changed except in narrow circumstances such as a change in marital status or the loss of a beneficiary. Premiums stop — coverage becomes paid up — after the later of the 360th month of premiums and the month the participant turns 70.

The single biggest change for survivors in recent years is the end of the SBP-DIC offset, sometimes called the "widow's tax." A surviving spouse entitled to both used to have the SBP annuity reduced dollar for dollar by the DIC payment. Congress phased that out, and beginning February 1, 2023 the offset no longer applied: surviving spouses now receive their full SBP payment from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) and their full DIC payment from VA. The Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance, which existed only to partially soften the offset, has not been paid since January 3, 2023.

Families who took steps during the offset years should revisit them. Some retirees named children rather than the spouse as the SBP beneficiary specifically to avoid the offset, an arrangement that may no longer offer any advantage. Anyone in that situation, or anyone unsure what election is on file, should contact DFAS directly rather than relying on paperwork from a decade ago. VA cannot answer SBP questions and DFAS cannot answer DIC questions.

Burial and memorial benefits

VA burial benefits fall into two buckets: a cash allowance paid toward funeral costs, and no-cost interment in a VA national cemetery. The cash allowance depends on how the veteran died, and the published amounts are maximums rather than guaranteed flat payments. If the death resulted from a service-connected disability, the maximum burial allowance is $2,000 for a death on or after September 11, 2001, and $1,500 for a death before that date. For other qualifying deaths, VA pays up to a $1,002 burial allowance plus up to a $1,002 plot or interment allowance for deaths on or after October 1, 2025. Transportation of the remains may also be reimbursed in some cases. These non-service-connected amounts step up each October 1, so confirm the figure that matches the date of death.

Deadlines differ, and this trips families up. There is no time limit to claim the burial or transportation allowance when the death was service-connected. There is also no time limit when the death was not service-connected but the veteran died while under VA care at a VA facility or a VA-contracted facility, or when you are claiming only the plot, interment or transportation allowance. Otherwise, a non-service-connected burial allowance claim generally must be filed within two years after the veteran's burial. The application is VA Form 21P-530EZ, which can be filed online or by mail, and it is normally submitted with the death certificate and the veteran's DD214 or other separation documents.

Burial in a VA national cemetery is separate from the allowance and is provided at no cost to the family. That includes a gravesite in any national cemetery with available space, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a government headstone, marker or medallion, a burial flag and a Presidential Memorial Certificate. Spouses and widows or widowers, minor dependent children and, under certain conditions, unmarried adult children with disabilities may be buried there as well — including when they die before the veteran does. Their name and dates are inscribed on the veteran's headstone at no cost.

One provision is time-limited and worth acting on. Under the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act (Public Law 118-210), VA announced on July 10, 2025 that veterans who were discharged from VA-provided medical or nursing care and then received VA-provided hospice care at home are covered for the full VA burial allowance, closing a gap where those deaths were not always eligible. As announced, the provision applies to deaths occurring from July 1, 2025 through October 1, 2026. Families whose veteran died at home on VA hospice in that window should confirm eligibility before the window closes.

Education benefits for survivors: Chapter 35 and the Fry Scholarship

Two different education programs serve survivors, and the right one depends on how the veteran or service member died or was rated. Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA, also called Chapter 35) covers spouses and children of a veteran or service member who is permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition, died from a service-connected disability, died in the line of duty, is missing in action or was captured or forcibly detained by a foreign entity for at least 90 days, or is hospitalized for a service-connected permanent and total disability and likely to be discharged for it.

DEA pays a flat monthly stipend directly to the student, who then pays the school. From October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026 the institutional rate is $1,574.00 per month full time, $1,244.00 for three-quarter time, and $912.00 for half time. Training below half time but above quarter time also pays $912.00, and quarter time or less pays $393.50 — but for both of those lower tiers VA pays the stated amount or the cost of your tuition and fees, whichever is less. Chapter 35 rates reset each October 1.

DEA provides up to 36 months of benefits for training that began on or after August 1, 2018 (45 months if training began before that date). Time limits were loosened significantly in 2023. For a child whose eligibility began on or after August 1, 2023 there is no time limit and no minimum age; for eligibility that began before that date, the older framework applies — generally up to eight years to use the benefit before turning 26, with some extensions. For a spouse, the qualifying event date matters: events on or after August 1, 2023 carry no time limit, while earlier events carry a 10-year window, or 20 years if the service member died on active duty. A spouse's DEA eligibility ends on divorce or remarriage, with limited exceptions including remarriage after January 1, 2004 at age 57 or older, or if the later marriage ends.

The Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship is the Post-9/11 GI Bill for survivors, providing up to 36 months of benefits. It is for the child or surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, or who died from a service-connected disability within 120 days of discharge or release from active duty. It also covers survivors of a Selected Reserve member (a drilling reservist or Guard member in a paid, ready status) who died in the line of duty other than on active duty, or who died from a service-connected disability. Fry pays like the Post-9/11 GI Bill rather than as a flat stipend: tuition and mandatory fees paid to the school, a monthly housing allowance, and a books and supplies stipend. For in-person training the housing allowance is based on the Defense Department's Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rate for an E-5 with dependents at the training location; for online-only training it is capped at half the national average. Post-9/11 tuition caps and housing figures reset every August 1 — including on August 1, 2026 — so check VA's current Post-9/11 GI Bill rate table rather than relying on a figure quoted anywhere else.

A child's Fry age limit depends on when the parent died: if the service member died before January 1, 2013, the child is eligible until age 33, unless the child turned 18, graduated high school or earned a GED after January 1, 2013, in which case there is no time limit. If the parent died on or after January 1, 2013, or was a Selected Reserve member, there is no time limit. A surviving spouse who remarries keeps Fry eligibility earned through the previous marriage.

The choice between Fry and DEA should not be made casually. If the service member died before August 1, 2011, a child may qualify for both but can use only one at a time, with a combined cap of 81 months of full-time training. If the death was on or after August 1, 2011, the combined cap is 48 months. Children and spouses are treated very differently on DIC: a child must give up DIC payments to use the Fry Scholarship, and a child's election to take Chapter 35 DEA becomes final once the first DEA payment is made, barring later DIC payments based on that child. A surviving spouse, by contrast, can keep DIC while using the Fry Scholarship and can receive DIC and Chapter 35 DEA at the same time. Run the comparison with an accredited representative or a school certifying official before anyone signs.

The VA caregiver program (PCAFC) and the monthly stipend

The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) supports someone caring for a seriously injured or ill veteran at home. To qualify, the veteran must meet all of these: be enrolled in VA health care; have a VA disability rating — for a single condition or combined — of 70% or higher; be discharged from the U.S. military or have a date of medical discharge; and need at least six months of continuous, in-person personal care services. "Personal care services" means help with everyday personal needs such as feeding, bathing or dressing, help managing health and wellness, or the supervision, protection and instruction a veteran needs to stay safe day to day.

The caregiver must be at least 18 and be a spouse, son, daughter, parent, stepfamily member or extended family member of the veteran, or someone who lives full time with the veteran — or is willing to live with them full time if designated. A veteran can have one Primary Family Caregiver, and that person receives the monthly stipend. Up to two Secondary Family Caregivers can also be approved for training and support, but not for the stipend.

The stipend is tied to federal pay, not to a fixed national number. VA starts with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) General Schedule annual rate for grade 4, step 1 in the locality pay area where the veteran lives, divides it by 12, and then multiplies by 0.625 for Level 1 or by 1.00 for Level 2. Level 2 applies when VA determines the veteran is "unable to self-sustain in the community." Because the calculation uses locality pay, two caregivers at the same level in different parts of the country receive different amounts, and the amounts shift when federal pay tables are updated. To estimate your own figure, look up the current GS-4 step 1 annual rate for the veteran's locality on the OPM pay tables and apply the math above. Payment requires enrolling in direct deposit.

Beyond the stipend, an approved Primary Family Caregiver may receive health coverage through CHAMPVA (a VA-administered health plan for certain family members) if they do not already qualify for care under another health plan, at least 30 days of respite care per year for the veteran, travel reimbursement when accompanying the veteran to appointments, mental health counseling including virtual psychotherapy, legal and financial planning services, caregiver training, and commissary and exchange privileges. The application is VA Form 10-10CG, and the VA Caregiver Support Line is 1-855-260-3274, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern.

What is changing right now, and where to get free help

Several PCAFC rules are in flux and directly affect current participants. VA has suspended annual PCAFC reassessments while it reviews the program's eligibility criteria, and states that it will not remove anyone from the program or decrease any support based on reassessments. Reassessments are still initiated when a veteran or caregiver asks to be considered for a higher stipend level, or when there is evidence of increased need for personal care services. Separately, VA published a final rule under which "legacy" participants and legacy applicants — broadly, those already in or applying to the program before the 2020 program changes — remain eligible and will not see a stipend decrease based on a reassessment through September 30, 2028. A broader proposed rule that would revise eligibility has not been finalized, so nothing in a proposed rule should be treated as current law.

Other dates worth watching: DIC and Survivors Pension rates change with the cost-of-living adjustment each December 1, so the figures in this guide are the December 1, 2025 rates and will be superseded on December 1, 2026. Chapter 35 rates run October 1 to September 30. Post-9/11 GI Bill and Fry Scholarship rates run August 1 to July 31 and reset on August 1, 2026 — if you are reading this on or after that date, the tuition cap and housing figures on VA's rate table have already changed. The Dole Act hospice burial provision, as announced, covers deaths through October 1, 2026. Non-service-connected burial allowance amounts step up each October 1.

Free, accredited help exists for every one of these claims, and nobody should pay to have a basic claim filed. VA states that the services an accredited VSO representative provides on your VA benefit claims are always free, and many counties and states also employ Veterans Service Officers who help at no charge. VA-accredited attorneys and claims agents may charge fees only for representation after VA has issued a decision and a notice of disagreement has been filed — not for preparing a claim form, and not for telling you what you might qualify for. Anyone asking for a fee, or a share of retroactive benefits, before there is a VA decision is operating outside the rules.

A practical order of operations after a death: submit an intent to file or the DIC application within one year of the death to protect the effective date; file VA Form 21P-530EZ for the burial allowance within the applicable deadline; contact DFAS about SBP separately, since VA and DFAS do not handle each other's programs; and ask a VSO to review whether Survivors Pension, education benefits or CHAMPVA also apply. Bring the death certificate, the marriage certificate, children's birth certificates and the veteran's DD214 to that first appointment.

Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these official sources. Benefit rates and thresholds change — check the current official page before you act.

• VA — Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents
• VA — About VA DIC for spouses, dependents, and parents
• VA — Current Survivors Pension benefit rates
• VA — Survivors Pension
• VA — Effective dates for disability and DIC claims
• VA — About VA Form 21P-534a (and related survivor forms)
• 10 U.S.C. § 1451 — SBP annuity amounts (govinfo)
• 10 U.S.C. § 1452 — SBP reductions in retired pay (govinfo)
• Military OneSource — SBP, DIC and SSIA benefits
• Military OneSource — About the Survivor Benefit Plan
• VA — Veterans burial allowance and transportation benefits
• VA — Burial benefits eligibility
• VA National Cemetery Administration — Burial and memorial benefits
• VA News — VA announces expanded burial benefits (July 10, 2025)
• VA — Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35)
• VA — Chapter 35 rates for survivors and dependents
• eCFR — 38 CFR 21.3023, nonduplication of pension, compensation and DIC
• VA — Fry Scholarship
• VA — Post-9/11 GI Bill rates
• VA — Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers
• VA Caregiver Support Program — PCAFC stipend
• VA Caregiver Support Program — PCAFC benefits and legacy cohort
• VA Caregiver Support Program — PCAFC reassessment update
• VA — Get help from an accredited representative
• VA Office of General Counsel — Accreditation FAQs