The loss of a spouse or parent is a devastating road for anyone to navigate, and for families of a veteran who died, it can also lead to financial uncertainty and confusion about benefits.
Members of Congress heard from the VA and veterans’ groups about the challenges grieving families have when it comes to determining their eligibility for VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC).
Pamela Laurion is the surviving spouse of Donald T. Laurion, who served as a Coast Guard corpsman in the 1970s.
“He died due to service-connected causes in 2016,” Laurion said in her testimony.
Laurion is now a member of Gold Star Wives of America and shared her story with a House subcommittee this week.
“The death of a veteran has just as much if not more paperwork and red tape as an active-duty death and is just as deserving of having someone specifically available to help,” Laurion said.
Veterans’ groups said a big part of the problem is that families don’t always know what benefits they are entitled to or if eligibility has been expanded or changed to include them.
Laurion also pushed for an increase in DIC benefits for eligible families.
“It is often a shock for surviving spouses to find out that their household income is cut to less than half once the 100% disabled veteran has passed,” Laurion said.
The VA said it has been working to improve its benefits services for surviving family members.
“In fiscal year 2020, it took VA over 100 days to complete a claim for DIC,” said Cheryl Rawls, executive director of the Office of Outreach, Transition, and Economic Development Service for the Veterans Benefits Administration at the VA. “With automation, it is now taking VA only 50 days on average to complete DIC claims.”
If you want to find out if you qualify for DIC benefits, you can work with a Veterans Service Officer or you can apply through the VA’s online portal.