For 2024 the Department of Soldiers Affairs’ Dependency And Indemnity Compensation (DIC) granted to survivors of certain dead soldiers will rise by 3.2%. The 2024 Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) rate is $1,612.74.
Dependency And Indemnity Compensation
Tax-free, monthly benefits the VA offers to surviving dependents of a veteran whose death resulted from their military service or a service-connected ailment are Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC).
Among the surviving dependents qualified for benefits are Veterans wives, children, and sometimes parents. Unique from standard VA disability pay, Dependency and Indemnity pay (DIC) has its special rates.
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (D1C) is provided to surviving spouses and dependent children when a service member dies while on active duty; with additional amounts also getting the 3.2% increase, the basic monthly tax-free DIC payment will climb from $1,562.74 for 2023 to $1,612.75 for 2024.
- VA Extra Payment
- Veterans Stimulus Check
DIC Rates for 2024
Every year the Social Security Administration (SSA) computes an updated cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) based on the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).
The Senate then passes new legislation enabling veterans’ benefits and a COLA increase. VA then changes veterans’ monthly pay to match their revised cost of living. Usually, this results in higher VA disability compensation.
DIC benefits also tend to rise yearly with the COLA rates, even though it has their own distinct rates. DIC rates rose by 8.7% in 2023 to a monthly $1,562.74.
The 2024 DIC rate is $1.617.74 based on the 3.2% COLA rise projected for 2024. Crucially, dependents might be qualified for extra monthly pay depending on certain requirements.
How to Apply for DIC?
Surviving dependents seeking DIC payments should utilize VA Form 21P-534EZ, the Application of DIC, Death Pension, and/or Accrued payments. Apart from this form, applicants need also provide proof including the death certificate of the veteran, marriage certificate (if relevant), and any divorce decree from past marriages.
Along with evidence on dependent children, including birth certificates and college or school records, Turning in these records with your application can assist speed the VA decision-making process. Use these instructions to apply online for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC):
- Visit at ebenefits.va.gov.
- Authenticate with MyHealtheVet, DS Logon, ID.me credentials.
- Visit the “Apply for Benefits” area to get Dependency and Indemnity Compensation.
- Finish the necessary papers including cause of death, veteran service records, and proof of link.
- After going over the form and supplying any necessary documentation, then apply online.
Dependency And Indemnity Compensation Eligibility
Both the veteran (or servicemember) and the surviving dependant must satisfy certain qualifying standards to be eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) DIC compensation:
DIC Criteria for Veterans:
- The veteran or servicemember must fit one of the following to be eligible for DIC:
- The service member passed away either on active duty, active-duty training, inactive-duty training, or another kind of training.
- The veteran died from a disease associated with his service; or
- Although the veteran’s death was not connected to his service, was entitled to VA disability pay for a 100 percent debilitating condition (or TDIU):
- For at least 10 years before death; or
- After retirement from active service and for at least five years previous to the veteran’s death; or
- For at least one year before death, the veteran was a former prisoner of war who passed away on September 30, 1999.
DIC Criteria for Surviving Spouses
- VA has certain eligibility rules for surviving spouses that call for their:
- Were at least one year married to the veteran before his death; or
- Stayed with the veteran constantly until their death; had a child with the veteran; and, if separated, were not liable for the split from the veteran.
DIC Criteria for Dependent Children
- Dependent children who want to be qualified for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation must be unmarried and meet other specific criteria. These qualifications are somewhat similar to those required for dependent benefits, which call for the dependent child:
- Less than eighteen years old; or
- Attending a VA-approved school and falls between eighteen and twenty-three.
- Thought to be permanently crippled before turning eighteen.
Calculating Your 2024 DIC Payment Rate
Should you be the surviving partner of a soldier, your monthly DIC rate would begin at $1.612.74. DIC benefits, however, may exceed this limit:
- VA provides an 8-year clause to surviving spouses of totally disabled veterans, including those entitled for TDIU. It is the situation that the late veteran should have a 100% disability rating for at least eight years prior to death and the surviving spouse was married to the soldier for those same eight years.
- Couples eligible for A&A might have other advantages.
- surviving couples constrained by a disability to their homes.
- surviving couples with one or more dependent children under eighteen.
- Also qualified are surviving partners with one or more children under eighteen.