VA Benefits for Surviving Spouse

For surviving spouses, eligibility is based upon a good credit rating, sufficient income, a valid COE and required occupancy. Home loans are provided through private lenders and mortgage companies, but the VA guarantees a portion of the loan allowing the lender to extend more favorable terms in the process. The surviving spouse can expect the following benefits from a VA home loan:

For the surviving spouse to be eligible, the couple should have been married and cohabiting together for at least one year or had a child together. A surviving spouse may also be eligible for DIC if the Veteran died in a way that was not related to his or her service but had been receiving VA disability compensation for at least ten years preceding death. In addition, if the Veteran was receiving VA disability compensation for a minimum of five years after release from active duty, the surviving spouse may also be eligible for DIC. Finally, the surviving spouse must not currently be remarried; however, once reaching the age of fifty-seven, they can remarry and continue to receive DIC.

The children of the deceased Veteran are also eligible to receive DIC as a monthly, surviving child benefit. The children must be unmarried. Those who are under the age of eighteen, and those between the ages of eighteen and twenty-three and also attending school, are eligible for DIC. Children who were severely disabled under the age of eighteen, and who remain disabled as an adult, might also be entitled to survivor benefits under DIC.

Parents of the deceased Veteran may also be eligible for DIC if they were financially dependent on the service member. Biological, adoptive and foster parents are included in this category. The parents must also have an income below the minimum level established by law in order to receive monthly DIC.

The Survivors Pension is also known as the death pension. The Survivors Pension is a tax-free monetary benefit for the surviving spouse or surviving children of a deceased service member who served during a time of war. The surviving spouse must have an income below the level established by law and not be remarried. The surviving children must be unmarried. For the surviving spouse and the surviving children to receive the Survivors Pension, the deceased Veteran must have served at least 90 days of active service, with at least one day of wartime service, and discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. After 1980, the deceased Veteran must have served at least twenty four months of active duty, with at least one day during a wartime period, and discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. Children of the deceased Veteran can receive the Survivors Pension if they are under the age of eighteen, or between the ages of 18-23 if they are attending school. In addition, children who were severely disabled under the age of eighteen, and who remain permanently disabled and incapable of self-support as an adult, are also eligible.

The Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) Program and the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship are the two main GI Bill programs that offer educational assistance to survivors and dependents of Veterans.

DEA programs are available to surviving dependents of Veterans who died while on active duty or due to a service-related injury or illness. Surviving dependents of Veterans who are permanently disabled as a result of service-related injury or illness are also eligible. DEA programs provide education assistance and training opportunities paid directly to the student in the form of a monthly monetary benefit. The Fry Scholarship provides post 9-11 benefits to the children and surviving spouses of service members who died during active duty after September 10, 2001. The Fry Scholarship provides tuition and fee payments paid directly to the school that the dependent or surviving spouse is attending. Dependents may be eligible for more than one of these programs, but in most cases, they will need to choose between the DEA program or the Fry Scholarship during the application process. The chart below compares the DEA program and the Fry Scholarship.