Veterans Benefits for Survivors and Dependents

This article provides a overview of key survivor benefits, including the Survivor Pension, Survivor Benefit Plan, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), Aid and Attendance benefits, and the Housebound Allowance.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) offer several different benefit programs for surviving spouses, children, and, in some cases, parents of deceased service members and veterans. Each program has different eligibility requirements, purposes, and application processes. This article provides a brief overview of the major survivor benefit programs and links to more detailed information about each one.
 

Topics on this page

What are Survivor Pension Benefits?

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers pension programs for certain low-income veterans, their surviving spouses, and dependent children. The Survivors Pension is a needs-based monthly benefit for certain low-income surviving spouses and unmarried dependent children of wartime veterans. 

For additional information see Veterans Affairs (VA) Survivor’s Pension.
 

What is the Survivor Benefit Plan?

The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) is a Department of Defense (DOD) program that allows military retirees to provide continuing monthly income to designated beneficiaries after the retiree's death. Retirees who elect SBP coverage pay premiums during retirement, and eligible beneficiaries receive a monthly annuity after the retiree dies.

For additional information see Department of Defense (DOD) Survivor’s Benefit Plan.
 

What are Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) Benefits?

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a tax-free monetary benefit payable to a surviving spouse, child, or parent of a service member whose death occurred while on active duty or resulted from a service-connected disability or certain qualifying circumstances. 

For additional information see Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) Benefits. 
 

What are Aid and Attendance Benefits and Housebound Allowance Benefits?

Aid and Attendance (A&A) and Housebound Allowance benefits are additional payments that may be added to a VA pension monetary benefits. These benefits are available for eligible veterans or surviving spouses who need assistance because of disability, illness, or limited mobility. These benefits are added to the VA pension—they are not standalone programs.

Because Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits are paid as supplements to a VA pension, additional information is available in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Survivor’s Pension article.

Each survivor benefit program has its own eligibility requirements and application process. If you believe you may qualify for one of these benefits, review the detailed article for the specific program to learn about eligibility, required documentation, and how to apply.
 

Eligibility

Aid and Attendance Benefits

You may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA pension and you meet at least one of these requirements.

  • You need another person to help you perform daily activities, like bathing, feeding, and dressing, or
  • You must stay in bed—or spend a large portion of the day in bed—because of illness, or
  • You are a patient in a nursing home due to the loss of mental or physical abilities related to a disability, or
  • Your eyesight is limited (even with glasses or contact lenses you have only 5/200 or less in both eyes; or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less)

Housebound benefits

You may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA pension and you spend most of your time in your home because of a permanent disability.

NOTE: You cannot get Aid and Attendance benefits and Housebound benefits at the same time.
 

Applying

You can apply for Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits by mail or by submitting your application in person at a regional VA office.

By mail

Fill out VA Form 21-2680 (Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance). You can have your doctor fill out the examination information section.

NOTE: if you are in a nursing home, you’ll also need to fill out a Request for Nursing Home Information in Connection with Claim for Aid and Attendance (VA Form 21-0779).

In person

You can bring your information to a VA regional office near you.
 

Decision Reviews and Appeals

If you disagree with a VA benefit decision, you can choose from 3 decision review options to continue your case:

Supplemental Claim

If you have new evidence relevant to your claim that was not considered in the decision, you can file a Supplemental Claim. A reviewer will examine the new evidence (such as medical records) and decide if this evidence changes the decision. You can file a Supplemental Claim by completing VA Form 20-0995 or submitting your claim through the VA's online system.

Learn more about Supplemental Claims and how to file.
 

Higher-Level Review

If you do not have new evidence, but believe there was an error in your case, you can request a Higher-Level Review. A higher-level reviewer will review the original decision using the same evidence as before. Higher-level reviewers cannot consider any new evidence. You can request an optional, one-time, informal conference with a higher-level reviewer to identify specific errors in the case. Requesting an informal conference may delay the review. To request a Higher-Level Review, complete VA Form 20-0996 or submit your claim through the VA's online system.
 

Board Appeal

If you would like a Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals to review your case, you can request a Board Appeal. You can only request a Board Appeal after an initial claim, a Supplemental Claim decision, or a Higher-Level Review decision. When you submit your request, you will need to request the type of review you want from the Board:

  • Direct Review - you do not want to submit evidence or have a hearing
  • Evidence Submission  - you want to submit additional evidence without a hearing
  • Hearing - you want to have a hearing with a Veterans Law Judge (with or without new evidence)

You can request a Board Appeal by completing VA Form 10182 or submitting your claim through the VA's online system. 

Learn more about Board Appeals and how to request a review.
 

Sources of Law

Source
Web Services Librarian
Source URL: https://www.peoples-law.org/veterans-benefits-survivors-and-dependents

List of links present in page
  1. https://www.peoples-law.org/veterans-benefits-survivors-and-dependents
  2. #survivor
  3. #SBP
  4. #DIC
  5. #aid
  6. https://www.peoples-law.org/veterans-affairs-va-survivors-pension
  7. https://www.peoples-law.org/department-defense-dod-survivors-benefit-plan
  8. https://www.peoples-law.org/dependency-and-indemnity-compensation-dic-benefits
  9. https://www.peoples-law.org/veterans-affairs-va-survivors-pension
  10. https://www.va.gov/find-forms/about-form-21-2680
  11. https://www.va.gov/find-forms/about-form-21-0779
  12. https://www.va.gov/find-forms/about-form-20-0995
  13. https://www.va.gov/decision-reviews/supplemental-claim/file-supplemental-claim-form-20-0995/
  14. https://www.va.gov/decision-reviews/supplemental-claim/
  15. https://www.va.gov/find-forms/about-form-20-0996
  16. https://www.va.gov/decision-reviews/higher-level-review/request-higher-level-review-form-20-0996/start
  17. https://www.va.gov/find-forms/about-form-10182
  18. https://www.va.gov/decision-reviews/board-appeal/request-board-appeal-form-10182
  19. https://www.va.gov/decision-reviews/board-appeal
  20. https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title38/part2/chapter15/subchapter3&edition=prelim
  21. https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title38/part2/chapter13/subchapter2&edition=prelim
  22. https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title38/part2/chapter15/subchapter2&edition=prelim
  23. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/chapter-I