Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a tax-free monthly benefit paid to surviving spouses, children, and parents of veterans who died from a service-connected condition or a service-related cause. In 2026, the base DIC rate for a surviving spouse is $1,699.36 per month — up 2.8% from 2025 thanks to the December 2025 COLA.
What is DIC?
DIC is the VA's survivor compensation program. It replaces some of the income lost when a veteran dies in service or from a service-connected condition. DIC is separate from Social Security survivor benefits and the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP).
2026 DIC rates for surviving spouses
- Base monthly rate: $1,699.36
- 8-year add-on (veteran rated totally disabled for 8+ years before death, married 8+ years): +$360.85
- Each dependent child under 18: +$421.00
- Aid & Attendance allowance: +$421.00
- Housebound allowance: +$197.22
- Each helpless child over 18: +$421.00
DIC eligibility for surviving spouses
You qualify for DIC if your spouse:
- Died on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training.
- Died from a service-connected disability or injury.
- Was rated totally disabled (100% schedular or TDIU) for at least 10 years before death.
- Was rated totally disabled for at least 5 years immediately after separation.
- Was a former POW who died after September 30, 1999, with a 1-year total-rating period.
DIC for surviving children
Children under 18 (or 23 if in school) may receive DIC if the surviving parent doesn't qualify or has remarried. Helpless adult children (disabled before age 18) receive lifetime DIC.
DIC for surviving parents
Parents' DIC is income-based and varies by relationship status. The 2026 maximum parents' DIC ranges from about $704 to $1,400 per month with income-based reductions of $0.08 per $1 of income above thresholds.
How to apply for DIC
- File VA Form 21P-534EZ — the survivor benefits application.
- Attach the veteran's death certificate.
- Include a copy of your marriage certificate and the veteran's DD-214.
- Submit medical evidence linking the cause of death to a service-connected condition, if applicable.
- Submit through VA.gov, by mail, or with a Veterans Service Officer.
DIC and other survivor benefits
DIC can be combined with other benefits, with some offsets:
- Social Security survivor benefits — paid in full alongside DIC.
- SBP (Survivor Benefit Plan) — the 2023 “widow's tax” repeal eliminated the SBP-DIC offset. Surviving spouses now receive both in full.
- Survivors Pension — cannot be paid concurrently with DIC. The VA pays whichever is higher.
Special monthly DIC
Surviving spouses with serious disabilities may qualify for Aid & Attendance (+$421) or Housebound (+$197) allowances on top of the base rate.
Related guides
Apply at the VA DIC page.