Although the VA primarily provides financial benefits and other services to veterans, family members of military veterans may also obtain benefits. Surviving spouses and dependents of certain veterans may qualify for various benefits from the VA, including financial payments, education assistance, and healthcare. Widows/widowers and dependents of deceased veterans should consult an experienced advisor to learn more about available VA benefits programs.
Common VA Benefits Available to Surviving Spouses and Dependents
Examples of VA benefit programs for surviving spouses and dependents of veterans include:
- Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: Eligible surviving spouses and dependents of veterans who die from service-connected conditions or injuries may receive monthly payments from the VA.
- Survivor’s Pension: Low-income surviving spouses and dependents may qualify for monthly financial assistance if they meet income and asset thresholds.
- Chapter 35 Benefits: These benefits, formally known as Survivor’s and Dependent’s Educational Assistance, offer educational and training opportunities to eligible spouses and children of permanently and totally disabled, deceased, MIA, or captured servicemembers and veterans. Benefits include monthly payments to cover educational expenses and professional licensing exams.
- Healthcare Benefits: The Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) can help cover the cost of various medical services or supplies for spouses and children of permanently and totally disabled, deceased, MIA, or captured servicemembers and veterans.
- Burial and Memorial Benefits: The VA can provide financial assistance for the cost of headstones, memorial services, and burial plots.
Eligibility Requirements
A spouse may become eligible for survivor’s benefits from the VA when they had a valid marriage to a servicemember or veteran. Depending on the program, a veteran must have a permanent and total service-connected disability, pass away from a service-connected disability or in combat, get captured, or go missing in action.
Eligible dependents may include a servicemember’s or veteran’s biological and legally adopted children who meet age, schooling status, or disability requirements. In some cases, other family members financially dependent on a servicemember or veteran may qualify for survivor’s benefits from the VA.
Some benefits also have financial eligibility requirements, requiring surviving family members to have income or assets below specific thresholds.
Steps to Apply for VA Benefits
The process of applying for surviving family members’ benefits from the VA includes several steps:
- Gathering required supporting documentation, such as marriage and death certificates, service records, and financial documents
- Filing the appropriate application forms with the VA for the specific program(s), ensuring that you have completed the form
- Undergoing the application review process, where the VA may ask for additional information or documentation
- Receiving a decision notice and appealing a denied claim through the VA’s administrative appeals process
Challenges and Tips for Navigating the Process
Some of the challenges that surviving family members can face when applying for VA disability benefits include:
- Failing to include all required supporting documentation with a benefits application or not completing the application forms.
- Failing to keep records of claim documents and correspondence from the VA.
- Not applying for benefit programs that one might qualify for.
Best practices for navigating the application process for survivor’s benefits from the VA include keeping records, monitoring claim statuses online, and seeking help from a VA-accredited representative or attorney, especially if the VA denies a benefits claim.
Contact a VA Disability Lawyer Today
When your deceased spouse served in the military or developed service-connected disabling medical conditions, you and your family may become eligible for various VA benefits. Contact Coskrey Law today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a VA disability attorney to learn more about the process for surviving spouses and dependents to obtain available benefits through the VA.