The Department of Veterans Affairs provides several military widows benefits, including pensions and Disability and Indemnity Compensation (DIC).
Widow Marriage Rules
The VA’s marriage rules are legally defined and designed to be fair. According to the statute, a marriage is considered valid if it was recognized by the law of the place where the parties resided at the time of the marriage or where the parties resided when the right to benefits accrued.
Pensions
The Survivors Pension is a tax-free monetary benefit for surviving spouses of wartime veterans who have not remarried. It is a needs-based benefit for widows and widowers of any age. To qualify for this benefit, the surviving spouse must have countable income below a yearly limit established by Congress.
Surviving spouses who qualify for the survivor pension may be eligible for an additional monetary benefit if they are substantially confined to their immediate premises due to a permanent disability. This additional Housebound benefit can provide further financial support.
Inflation is impacting senior living costs in various ways, particularly home and facility care. The VA’s Aid and Attendance benefit reduces care expenses. If a veteran served at least 90 days of active duty, including at least one day during a wartime period, his or her widow may be eligible for this benefit. It is tax-free and does not require repayment.
Aid and Attendance reimburses for a wide range of care, including home care, adult day care, board and care, assisted living, and skilled nursing home care.
To qualify for Aid and Attendance, the widow must have been married to the veteran for at least a year and never remarried after their passing. A spouse who had a child with the veteran but was married for less than a year may still qualify for the benefit.
When applying for the Aid and Attendance benefit, the widow must also meet specific VA income and asset rules.
Other requirements include the widow needing help with some of the activities of daily living such as:
- Toileting – help getting on or off the toilet and help with incontinence.
- Feeding – helping the person eat (or drink) such as cutting up food.
- Transferring – going up and down stairs, getting in or out of bed, moving from a sitting to a standing position, and helping someone move from place to place.
- Bathing – assistance with bathing, help adjusting the shower head or water temperature, reminders to bathe.
- Dressing – assistance with putting clothes on or taking them off, help picking out clothes.
2024 Aid and Attendance Benefit Amounts
Surviving Spouse $1,478 Monthly | $17,743 Annually
Single Veteran $2,300 Monthly | $27,609 Annually
Married Veteran $2,727 Monthly | $32,729 Annually
Two Vets Married $3,649 Monthly | $43,791 Annually
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
The VA provides tax-free monetary benefits called Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) to the surviving spouses of service members who died while on:
- Active duty (full-time military service)
- Active duty for training
- Inactive duty training
DIC is also paid to surviving spouses if the veteran’s death:
- resulted from a service-connected injury or disease, or
- resulted from a non-service-related injury or disease, and the veteran was receiving compensation for a service-connected disability for (1) at least 10 years immediately before death, or (2) since the veteran’s release from active duty and for at least five years immediately preceding death, or (3) at least one year before death if the veteran was a former prisoner of war who died after September 30, 1999.
Other eligibility requirements include:
- The surviving spouse was married to a service member who died on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training, or
- was validly married to the veteran before January 1, 1957, or
- married the veteran within 15 years of discharge from the period of military service in which the disease or injury that caused the veteran’s death began or was aggravated, or
- was married to the veteran for at least one year, or
- had a child with the veteran, and
- cohabitated with the veteran continuously until the veteran’s death or, if separated, was not at fault for the separation, AND
- is not currently remarried
(Surviving spouses who are age 57 or older and remarry on or after December 16, 2003, can continue to receive DIC.)
Survivors Benefit Plan
The U.S. Department of Defense offers a Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) for widows of military members who passed away while on duty or after they retired. The plan can also provide benefits to a child or former spouse under certain circumstances.
Active-duty members have the option to purchase this coverage upon retirement. It functions similarly to life insurance, providing protection against inflation and the risk of outliving the benefit.
The annuity amount is calculated as a percentage of the service member’s retired pay and is funded through premiums deducted from their gross retired pay. The monthly benefit can be up to 55% of the service member’s retirement pay.
Reserve component and active-duty members who pass away during inactive duty training due to a service-connected cause are automatically covered.
SBP Eligibility Requirements
A surviving spouse may be eligible for this benefit if they did not remarry after the Veteran’s death and if the deceased Veteran did not receive a dishonorable discharge. Service requirements include:
- Entered active duty on or before September 7, 1980, and served at least 90 days on active military service, with at least one day during an eligible war period
- Entered active duty after September 7, 1980, and served at least 24 months or the full period for which they were called or ordered to active duty (with some exceptions), with at least one day during an eligible wartime period
- Was an officer and started on active duty after October 16, 1981, and had not previously served on active duty for at least 24 months
You must also meet net worth limits set by Congress.
A child of a deceased Veteran may be eligible for this benefit if they are unmarried and:
- Are under age 18, or
- Are under age 23 and attending a VA-approved school, or
- Are unable to care for themselves due to a disability that happened before age 18
If you are the widow of a military veteran, you can find out more about VA pensions by calling one of our Benefit Consultants today at (877) 427-8065 or click here. This important benefit can help a loved one stay at home longer or get the help they need in a care facility.
