Survivor Benefits Navigator
One place to see everything a surviving spouse, child, or parent may be owed — DIC, Survivors Pension, accrued benefits, and the family benefits (healthcare, education, home loan, burial) that ride alongside them.
Rates effective December 1, 2025 (2026 rates)
Survivor benefits are more than one check
When a veteran passes, their family may be owed several separate, tax-free benefits — not just one. This tool walks you through DIC, the need-based Survivors Pension, accrued benefits the veteran had already earned, and the health, education, and home-loan programs that come with them. Start by telling us who you are.
$1,699/mo
Base surviving-spouse DIC
No federal tax
100% tax-free
1 year
Accrued claim window
Who are you to the veteran?
Different survivors qualify for different benefits. Pick the one that fits and the estimator adjusts.
First, how did the veteran pass?
This is the fork in the road. It decides which program pays you — and they are calculated in completely different ways.
Why this matters
DIC is a flat, generous rate that ignores your income entirely. Survivors Pension is need-based — it fills the gap up to an income ceiling. You generally receive the greater of the two, not both. Not sure the death qualifies? An accredited agent can often connect a later illness back to service — that single argument can turn a small pension into full DIC.
Your DIC estimate
Each child under 18 in your care adds $421.00/mo to your DIC.
Do you qualify for DIC as a spouse?
DIC is for a spouse when the death was in the line of duty or caused by a service-connected condition. Check anything below that describes your marriage — you only need one to qualify.
Check the boxes that apply to see if you likely qualify.
Even if the death was not directly service-connected, you may still get DIC if the veteran was rated 100% (or TDIU) for the 10 years before death (5 years from discharge, or 1 year for a former POW). Remarry at age 55 or older? You keep your DIC.
Estimated monthly DIC
About $20,392 per year
Estimated over 10 years
$203,923+
Before annual cost-of-living raises — the real total is higher.
Free & no obligation — our accredited team helps survivors file and maximize DIC.
Official VA DIC ratesYour family’s complete benefit picture
Estimated survivor cash over 10 years, based on your monthly DIC above — and that is before the programs on the right, which are worth thousands more.
Most families qualify for more than one. A free review makes sure you claim everything you are owed:
CHAMPVA health coverage
Medical, hospital, and pharmacy cost-sharing for eligible survivors and dependents.
Education for your kids
Up to 36 months of DEA / Chapter 35 tuition and monthly support.
$0-down home loan
Surviving spouses may use the VA home-loan guaranty with no down payment.
Burial & memorial
Burial allowance, plot allowance, a government headstone or marker, and more.
Don’t miss accrued benefits — the money already earned
“Accrued benefits” are VA payments the veteran had earned but not yet been paid when they died — for example, a claim or appeal that was still pending, or a rating increase that had not started paying. This is separate from DIC, and survivors miss it constantly.
A real example: a veteran had a claim for a rating increase still pending when he passed. Months later VA approved it, back-dated to the day he first filed. That back pay — often tens of thousands of dollars — belongs to the surviving family. But it is only paid if someone claims it in time, and the family almost never knows to ask.
One-year deadline
You must file within one year of the death. If you already filed for DIC or pension on VA Form 21P-534EZ, accrued benefits are usually included automatically — but confirm it.
Who gets paid, in order
Surviving spouse first, then the veteran’s children, then a dependent parent. If none, whoever paid the last-illness or burial costs can be reimbursed.
This is where an accredited agent earns their keep
Tracking down a pending claim, gathering the proof, and filing VA Form 21P-601 before the one-year clock runs out is fiddly work — and the deadline is unforgiving. Talk it through with Albert right now, or leave your details and a VA-accredited claims agent will reach out. Both are free, with no obligation.
Your first-year action plan
The order matters, and one step runs on a strict clock. Here is what to do after a veteran passes — we can handle every piece alongside you.
- 1
Right away
Report the death to VA
Notify VA (the funeral home often helps) so survivor and burial support can begin.
- 2
Within weeks
File DIC or Survivors Pension
One form — VA Form 21P-534EZ — covers both paths. We help you file the right one.
- 3
Within 1 year
Claim accrued benefits
Money the veteran had already earned. Miss the one-year window and it is gone for good.
- 4
After the award
Turn on companion benefits
Enroll in CHAMPVA and set up education and home-loan benefits for the family.
Other benefits that come with survivor status
A DIC or pension award is often the key that unlocks these. Each is a separate program — and together they can be worth far more than the monthly check.
CHAMPVA health coverage
Cost-shared health care for surviving spouses and children when the veteran died of a service-connected condition or was permanently and totally disabled at death (and you don't have TRICARE).
About CHAMPVA
Education — DEA (Ch. 35) & Fry Scholarship
Tuition and a monthly housing stipend for survivors. The Fry Scholarship pays at the full Post-9/11 GI Bill rate for families of members who died in the line of duty on or after 9/11/2001.
Survivor education benefits
VA home loan for surviving spouses
An unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who died from a service-connected condition can buy or refinance a home with no down payment and no VA funding fee.
Surviving-spouse home loan
Burial & memorial benefits
Burial allowance, a plot or interment in a VA cemetery, a government headstone or marker, and a memorial flag. Service-connected deaths receive a much larger allowance.
Open the burial calculator
You shouldn’t have to figure this out alone
Survivor claims are paperwork-heavy and the deadlines are unforgiving. Our VA-accredited claims agents can file your DIC or pension, capture the accrued benefits you’re owed, and line up CHAMPVA, education, and home-loan eligibility — so nothing slips through.
About this benefit
When a service member or veteran dies, the family may qualify for more than one benefit — and they are not the same thing. DIC is a flat, tax-free monthly payment when the death was in the line of duty or caused by a service-connected condition. Survivors Pension is a separate, need-based benefit for a low-income surviving family of a wartime veteran whose death was not service-connected. VA pays whichever is greater — you cannot draw both.
On top of the monthly check there are accrued benefits (money VA already owed the veteran at death, with a hard one-year filing deadline), Parents’ DIC, and a set of family benefits — CHAMPVA health coverage, DEA/Fry education, the surviving-spouse home loan, and burial allowances. This navigator walks each path and estimates what applies to your family.
How to use it
- 1Start by telling us who you are — a surviving spouse, a child, or a dependent parent.
- 2For a spouse, choose whether the death was service-connected (DIC) or not (Survivors Pension); the tool shows the right estimate for each.
- 3Add dependent children, care level (Aid & Attendance or Housebound), and — for pension — income and out-of-pocket medical costs.
- 4Review the accrued-benefits deadline and the companion family benefits, then talk to a specialist about filing.
What it covers
- Surviving-spouse DIC, with children, 8-year provision, transitional, Aid & Attendance and Housebound
- Need-based Survivors Pension (MAPR less countable income, with the 5% medical deduction)
- Children-only DIC and Parents’ DIC income ceiling
- Accrued benefits, CHAMPVA, DEA/Fry education, home loan, and burial allowances
Work with our accredited claims agents
Ready to turn this estimate into a claim? Let a specialist handle it.
Calculators are a starting point. Our VA-accredited claims agents can review your situation, make sure you’re not leaving benefits on the table, and file or appeal your claim for you — your first case evaluation is free, with no obligation.
These are planning estimates for deaths on or after January 1, 1993. Actual awards depend on VA’s review of eligibility, dates, dependents, income, and net worth. DIC and Survivors Pension cannot be paid at the same time — VA pays the greater of the two. Confirm your situation with an accredited representative before you file. VA Benefits Calculators is not affiliated with the VA — the VA makes all final decisions about eligibility and payment amounts. Always confirm details at va.gov.