Widows – Don’t Lose Hope

(This is not legal advice but a general summary-Do not rely on this post for benefits as timely and accurate filing matters.)

Department of Veterans Affairs Dependents Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for Those Left Behind — It includes children, parents and spouses

If you are a survivor of a Veteran who died from a service-related injury or illness, you may be able to receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. There are also support groups like SoloSpouse, whose retiree husband tragically and unexpectedly passed away and so she did what great Americans do, she began a resource for those who are where she was.

DIC-To receive, one of the following must be true:

1. At time of death, co-habitation with a veteran or service member, or
2. Not living together, you didn’t cause or at fault (call us if this applies to you)

You must check one of these boxes:

1. Marriage no longer than 15 years from discharge from the period of military service when disability began or aggravated
2. At least 1 year of marriage, or
3. You had a child with the Veteran or service member

What Must you Show

Lease, medical reports or test results

If the Veteran’s eligibility was due to a rating of totally disabling, they must have had this rating:

• 10 years before their death, or
• Service connected disability from time that service ended or at least for the past 5 years before passing away

Applying for compensation?

(VA Form 21P-534a) or (VA Form 21P-534EZ) or consider filing an “intent to file” form to preserve your eligibility date. You won’t need all the details, or any, to preserve retroactive benefits.

You can get advice and buy yourself some time. To preserve what is known as an earlier “effective date” you might receive payments that start at a point in the past.

The lawyers and paralegals at CitizenSoldierLaw can get you the answers that you need. We have well over 100 years of combined military service in Human Resources, the law and with experience with Department of the VA, DOD, DFAS and the like. Unfortunately we are a business and we must charge a consultation fee if we are to persist as a resource and to support our families.