2026 VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a monthly benefit paid to eligible survivors of certain deceased veterans.

2027 Rates

The Department of Veterans Affairs will announce new rates that will take effect Dec. 1, 2026. The rates were not posted yet as of Sept. 4, 2026.

Monthly Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Rates

For 2026, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation is paid to a surviving spouse at the monthly rate of $1,699.36.

Additional DIC Allowances

• Add $360.85 if, at the time of death, the veteran was rated 100% disabled or unemployable as a result of disability. The veteran must have been rated that way for at least eight continuous years immediately preceding death, and the surviving spouse had to be married to the veteran for those same eight years
• Add $421.00 for each dependent child under age 18
• If the surviving spouse is entitled to aid and attendance (A&A), add $421.00
• If the surviving spouse is housebound, add $197.22
• Add $359.00 for the first two years after the veteran’s death if the surviving spouse has one or more children under age 18

Who Is Eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation?

DIC is a monthly benefit paid to eligible survivors of:

• A military member who died while on active duty
• A veteran whose death was the result of a service-related injury or disease
• A veteran whose death wasn’t related to their service but who was rated totally disabled by the VA. Normally the veteran must have had the 100% permanent and totally disabled rating for a certain number of years

DIC Eligibility

The surviving spouse is eligible for DIC if they:

• Married the veteran before Jan. 1, 1957 — or —
• Are married to a service member who died on active duty or in training
• Married a veteran whose death was service-connected, as long as they married within 15 years of the discharge — or —
• Were married to the veteran for at least one year — or —
• Had a child with the veteran and lived with the veteran continuously until the veteran’s death; or, if separated, were not at fault for the separation and haven’t gotten remarried

Spouses who remarry can continue to receive DIC if they:

• Remarried on or after Jan. 5, 2021, and were at least 55 years old — or —
• Remarried between Dec. 16, 2003, and Jan. 4, 2021, and were at least 57 years old

The surviving children are eligible if they are unmarried and under 18; or between the ages of 18 and 23 and attending school. Certain helpless adult children can be entitled to DIC.

Some surviving parents may be eligible for an income-based benefit.

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