Surviving spouse may be elibigle for DIC if he/she did not remarry or they were divorced or seperated from the second spouse because of death. In addition, unmarried children under 18, helpless minor children, and those children attending a V.A. approved school who are 18 to 23 years of age may also be eligible for DIC.
For eligibility, the death of the veteran must not have been because of willful misconduct and his/her discharge from the military must have been under conditions other than dishonorable. Also, the three other criteria set forth for eligibility by V.A. in the 1999 Benefits Guide are:
The survivor(s) of a deceased veteran who was totally disabled at the time of death, although their death was not due to a service-connected disease or injury, may also be eligible for DIC. Eligibility may be forthcoming if the deceased was continuously rated as totally disabled for a period of at least ten (10) years immediately prreceding his or her death, or the deceased was so rated for a period of five (5) years or more from the date of discharge from the military.
According to the 1999 Benefits Guide[1], benefits under DIC may be subject to offset by the amount received by the survivor(s) from judicial proceedings that occur because of the veteran's death.
DIC PAYMENTS AND A SURVIVING SPOUSE
If the veteran died on or after January 1, 1993, the surviving spouse is entitled to DIC payments of $861.00 a month. For the spouse of a veteran who died prior to that date, their DIC payments will be either $861.00 per month or it will be based on the deceased veteran's pay grade, based on the following chart (Table I). Use Table II when the veteran died on or after the date of January 1, 1993.
Table I
---------------------------------------
Spouses, 1999 DIC
(Veteran died prior to January 1, 1993)
=======================================
Pay Grade Monthly
---------------------------------------
E-1 to E-6 $861
E-7 $890
E-8 $940
E-9 $980
W-1 $909
W-2 $946
W-3 $974
W-4 $1,030
O-1 $909
O-2 $940
O-3 $1,004
O-4 $1,062
O-5 $1,170
O-6 $1,318
O-7 $1,424
O-8 $1,561
O-9 $1,672
O-10 $1,834
---------------------------------------
Source: 1999 Benefits Guide[1]
---------------------------------------
Table II
---------------------------------------
Spouses, 1999 DIC
(Veteran died on/after January 1, 1993)
=======================================
Allowances Monthly
---------------------------------------
Basic Rage $861
Additional:
Each Dependent Child $217
Aid and Attendance $217
Housebound $105
=======================================
Note: Add $217 per dependent child
under 18. Add $187 if veteran was
totally disabled eight (8) continuous
years prior to his/her death.
=======================================
Source: 1999 Benefits Guide[1]
---------------------------------------
DIC PAYMENTS FOR LOW-INCOME
PARENTS & UNSUPERVISED CHILDREN
The low-income parents of a deceased veteran may also be eligible for DIC paymets. For the parents of a deceased veteran, eligibility and the amount of DIC received depend on their combined income. Unsupervised dependent children of a deceased veteran may also be eligible for DIC. Table II lists DIC for children, but contact a service officer at the nearest VARO for further details.[2]
The survivors of eligible veterans who died from a service-connected cause incurred or aggravated before August 13, 1981, may also be entitled to special benefits. According to the 1999 Benefits Guide[1], this special benefit is similar to benefits for students and surviving spouses with childrens that fall between the ages of 16 and 18 who were eliminated from Social Security benefits. If eligible, the survivor(s) will receive this special allowance in addition to any other benefit(s) that they/the family is entitled to. The exact amount of this allowance depends on information provided the V.A. by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
SPINAL BIFIDA ALLOWANCE
Children of Vietnam veterans, living or deceased, are eligible for benefits under the V.A. benefits program. Specifically, they may apply for vocational training, health care, and compensation, paid on a monthly basis. According to the 1999 Benefits Guide[1], compensation is set a one of three levels, which is dependent upon the degree of disability. The degree of disability is determined according to specific neurological manifestations that define the degree of severity of disability.
The three levels of disability and the monthly pay rate, as related to spinal bifida, are as listed in Table III below:
Table III Spinal Bifida Benefits (Effective December 1, 1998) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Level Impairment Degree Monthly ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I Impairment of function of the extremities $208 II Impairment of bowel or bladder functions $725 III Impairment of intellectual functions $1,242 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: 1999 Benefits Guide[1] ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Low-income parents and the spouses of deceased veterans who receive DIC may also be eligible for a special allowance if they require the regular assistance of another individual or they are curretly patients in a nursing home, which is termed Aid and Attendance allowance. A House-Bound allowance may also be allowable for low-income parents and spouses who receive DIC. Refer to Table IV for the current amounts approved for Sole Surviving Parent Unremarried or Remarried Living With Spouse, Table V for One of Two Parents Not Living With Spouse, and Table VI for One of Two Parents Living With Spouse or Other Parent.
Table IV
---------------------------------------------------
Sole Surviving Parent
Unremarried or Remarried Living With Spouse
---------------------------------------------------
Total Dep. Code 50/60
This Dep. Code 50/60 or 52/62
---------------------------------------------------
Income Not Monthly Rate Each $1
Over in in dollars Decrement
dollars
===================================================
800 $418 None
900 410 $.08
1000 402
1100 394
1200 386
1300 378
1400 370
1500 362
1600 354
1700 346
1800 338
1900 330
2000 322
2100 314
2200 306
2300 298
2400 290
2500 282
2600 274
2700 266
2800 258
2900 250
3000 242
3100 234
3200 226
3300 218
3400 210
3500 202
3600 194
3700 186
3800 178
3900 170
4000 162
4100 154
4200 146
4300 138
4400 130
4500 122
4600 114
4700 106
4800 98
4900 90
5000 82
5100 74
5200 66
5300 58
5400 50
5500 42
5600 34
5700 26
5800 18
5900 10
5962 5.04
5963 to ** 5 None
If A&A add 224
===================================================
** If living $13,423
with spouse
---------------------------------------------------
If not living $ 9,986
with spouse
---------------------------------------------------
1.3% Cost-of-Living Increase Effecgtive 12/1/98
---------------------------------------------------
Table V
---------------------------------------------------
One of Two Parents
Not Living With Spouse
---------------------------------------------------
Total Dep. Code 70
This Dep. Code 50/60
---------------------------------------------------
Income Not Monthly Each $1
Over Rate Decrement
===================================================
$800 $301 None
900 295 $0.06
1000 288 0.07
1100 281
1200 273
1300 265
1400 257
1500 249
1600 241
1700 233
1800 225
1900 217
2000 209
2100 201
2200 193
2300 193
2400 177
2500 169
2600 161
2700 153
2800 145
2900 137
3000 129
3100 121
3200 113
3300 105
3400 97
3500 89
3600 81
3700 73
3800 65
3900 57
4000 49
4100 41
4200 33
4300 25
4400 17
4500 9
4549 5.08
---------------------------------------------------
4550 to 9986 5 None
If A&A Add 224
---------------------------------------------------
1.3% Cost-of-Living Increase Effective 12/1/98
---------------------------------------------------
Table VI
---------------------------------------------------
One of Two Parents
Living With Spouse or Other Parent
---------------------------------------------------
Total Dep. Code 70
This Dep. Code
With Other Parent: 51/61
Remarried With Spouse: 52/62
---------------------------------------------------
Income Not Monthly Each $1
Over Rate Decrement
===================================================
$1000 282 None
1100 279 $0.03
1200 276
1300 273
1400 270
1500 267
1600 263 0.04
1700 259
1800 255
1900 251
2000 246 0.05
2100 241
2200 236
2300 226
2400 226
2500 220 0.06
2600 214
2700 208
2800 202
2900 196
3000 189 0.07
3100 182
3200 175
3300 167 0.08
3400 159
3500 151
3600 143
3700 135
3800 127
3900 119
4000 111
4100 103
4200 95
4300 87
4400 79
4500 71
4600 63
4700 55
4800 47
4900 39
5000 31
5100 23
5200 15
5300 7
5324 5.08
---------------------------------------------------
5325 to 13,423 5
If A&A Add 224
---------------------------------------------------
1.3% Cost-of-Living Increase Effective 12/1/98
---------------------------------------------------
[1] 1999 Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents
[2] A list of VAROs and other V.A. Facilities can be found in the VA Facilities section on the U.S. Veteran (non-governmental) website, available at the following Internet address: http://web.raex.com/~colombo/vets2/index.htm. For further questions on how to find a VARO, contact U.S. Veteran Information (non-governmental) at P.O. Box 30076, East Canton, Ohio 44730, or by E-Mail at vets@raex.com.
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