A veteran’s spouse or dependent child may be eligible for certain financial, educational, healthcare, or job assistance benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). A survivor of a veteran or service member could qualify for additional benefits, including survivor compensation and help with burial costs.
VA Benefits for Your Spouse
The support offered by the VA to disabled veterans’ spouses can help ease many burdens on military families. The following are the types of support veterans’ spouses may receive.
Financial Benefits
Veterans who have a 100% service-connected disability rating may receive financial support for their spouses and dependent children. These payment increases are awarded automatically, so spouses need not apply to receive them.
Health Benefits
CHAMPVA (Civilian Health and Medical Program) shares the cost of healthcare supplies and services with the VA, so spouses and dependent children of disabled veterans may receive reimbursement for prescriptions, medical equipment, mental health care, nursing care, and inpatient and outpatient services.
Educational Benefits
The VA may provide assistance for spouses and dependent children of veterans to pursue a degree, certificate, or work-training program. The VA offers assistance for up to three years and nine months of benefits for spouses and children.
State-Offered Benefits
A veteran’s spouse’s state of residence may provide additional benefits, including employment assistance, property tax exemptions, and free counseling. These benefits can vary from state to state.
VA Benefits for Veterans’ Surviving Spouse, Children, and Widows
Losing a loved one can cause financial stress to the surviving family. The VA offers monetary benefits for the surviving spouses of wartime veterans, including dependency and indemnity compensation, burial benefits, and survivors’ pension.
Additionally, the surviving spouse must have married the veteran who died due to a service-connected illness or injury; the marriage in question must have begun within 15 years of the veteran’s disability discharge.
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC Benefits)
DIC Benefits are tax-free monthly payments made to the survivors of veterans who have been killed during active duty, have died from service-connected disabilities, or have received a 100% disability rating before death.
Survivor’s Pension
Also known as a “death pension,” a survivor’s pension is a tax-free payment to the low-income surviving spouse of a deceased wartime service veteran.
Veteran Burial Benefits
Burial allowances are paid at a flat rate to help cover burial and funeral costs and expenses like headstones and gravesites.
Healthcare
CHAMPVA provides assistance with health care supplies and services for eligible surviving family members who do not qualify for coverage under TRICARE.
Education
The Survivor’s and Dependent’s Educational Assistance (DEA) Program offers education assistance to dependents of veterans who were permanently and totally disabled by a service-connected disability.
