Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, commonly referred to as DIC, is a monthly monetary benefit payable to the surviving spouse, child, or parent of a service member who died in the line of duty, or the survivor of a veteran who died from a service-related injury or illness.
The Veteran's discharge must have been under conditions other than dishonorable.
Visit the VA's website for eligibility criteria.
NOTE: If you remarried after the death of your veteran spouse, but the veteran died in the line of duty on active duty or died as the result of a disability that can be connected to their military service, you can receive or continue to receive DIC if one of the following applies to you:
- You remarried on or after December 16, 2003, and you were 57 years of age or older at the time you remarried, OR
- You remarried on or after January 5, 2021, and you were 55 years of age or older at the time you remarried, OR
- You did not meet one of the above requirements, but your remarriage has now ended in death or divorce