Spouse Benefits

[warren]

I'M A 100% DISABLED FROM THE VA. WHEN I DIE, DOES MY WIFE GET MY 100% DISABILITY, HOW MUCH BURIAL EXPENSE DOES SHE GET AND DOES SHE KEEP HER CHAMPVA INS? ALSO, WHAT IS THIS 10 YEAR OR TWENTY YEAR AND 70 YEARS OLD STUFF I KEEP HEARING ABOUT. I'M CONFUSED AND I JUST WANT MY WONDERFUL WIFE TO KNOW WHAT IS DUE HER. I'M A MEMBER OF THIS GREAT SITE AND I HAVE GAINED A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE FROM MY VETERANT FRIENDS AND I HAVE TRIED TO HELP SOME WITH WHAT I'VE LEARNED DEALING WITH THE VA. GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU.

[jbasser]

If your death is result of a Service connected disability or the disability is a contributing factor , or you are service connected at 100 percent for 10 years then she will get Dependent Indemnity Compensation of DIC.

She will keep her Champ VA.

The Burial Benefit is explained at www.va.gov.

[broncovet]

Warren:

When you die, your VA disability largely "goes away". No more money to your widow. Then, your wife can

"apply" for DIC, which is about $1195 per month, less than half of 100%. Worse, the VA will fight her tooth and nail on that, too. She will be lucky to get her DIC in 5 years, and several appeals later. All that time, she gets zero. And then she might get some retro, but count on the Va to hornswaggle the effective date there, too. This is all assuming the widows knows how to apply and knows a VSO or attorney. Most dont, and so they get zero.

You need to acquaint your wife on the VA process so she can apply for DIC. Berta used to be a great help to widows, but she has retired. It leaves a big gap, as no one else knows even close to what Berta knows about DIC. Without a Masters Degree in VA benefits, the VA swallows you up like a whale swallows up a minnow.

Your widow will get in a million man waiting list for benefits when she applies for DIC. This backlog hurts not only Vets, but their families, too. The VA wont care if your wife can not afford her heat bill, and her utilities cut off because of inflation and she can no longer pay the bills. She will have to wait in the million man line, just like Vets.

Edited October 14, 2012 by broncovet

[Philip Rogers]

Warren:

When you die, your VA disability largely "goes away". No more money to your widow. Then, your wife can

"apply" for DIC, which is about $1195 per month, less than half of 100%. Worse, the VA will fight her tooth and nail on that, too. She will be lucky to get her DIC in 5 years, and several appeals later. All that time, she gets zero. And then she might get some retro, but count on the Va to hornswaggle the effective date there, too. This is all assuming the widows knows how to apply and knows a VSO or attorney. Most dont, and so they get zero.

You need to acquaint your wife on the VA process so she can apply for DIC. Berta used to be a great help to widows, but she has retired. It leaves a big gap, as no one else knows even close to what Berta knows about DIC. Without a Masters Degree in VA benefits, the VA swallows you up like a whale swallows up a minnow.

Your widow will get in a million man waiting list for benefits when she applies for DIC. This backlog hurts not only Vets, but their families, too. The VA wont care if your wife can not afford her heat bill, and her utilities cut off because of inflation and she can no longer pay the bills. She will have to wait in the million man line, just like Vets.

bronco - not to be difficult but . . . a friend of mine died in May, 2010. He was TDIU over 10 yrs and his wife started receiving DIC, within 4-6 wks. I was amazed, shocked, and utterly in awe at the speed at which the VA moved. They were married during the previous 8yrs, prior to his death, so she receives the $1195 + $254, for a monthly amount of $1449. She received his VA life policy payment within 3-4 wks of his death. Of course she still hasn't received the burial allowances, even tho she paid cash for it. This is not to say all cases will be handled the same. jmo

pr

[broncovet]

PR

While its good it worked ok well for your friends, after Berta's ordeal of 5 years or so, and the VA fighting her every step of the way, I think widows need to be prepared for battle with the VA the same as Vets.

I would not have thought the VA would do this to Vets, either. I thought the VA was here to help Vets, 10 years ago.

Some of it is the luck of the draw as to who your RO and who your decision maker is.

One poster, who is no longer on this board, got 100% VA benefits 4 months after applying and did not understand our gripes.

I would certainly hope, for Warrens sake, that his widow gets great treatment. But what I have read on this board is that widows are treated like their Vets...just ask Berta.

My son, who applied for Chapter35 was treated and delayed similar to Vets. However, my wifes Champ va went through in 3 weeks, not 3 years. I do think that women outnumber men, and vote, so they know they can get away with treating Vets bad, but when the VA starts treating women bad, it pisses everyone off.

[deanbrt]

I think if you are service connected at 100% for over 10 years at the point you pass away it is processed quickly. After that, a debate may ensue. My mother had to go into a nursing home several years before dad passed away. The VA said their records showed she was "estranged" from dad.

She just received DIC the other week after 3 1/2 years of waiting. She did get the retro.

As to the 10 years, as others have pointed out, as you get close be prepared for the VA to re-examine

[LLoyd USMC]

Doesn't it have to be P&T for 10 years, I have been 80 %/100 TDIU for over 16 years, they made me P&T in 05

LLoyd