The Benefits Information Department staff provides advise and assistance to MOAA members and their spouses concerning benefits they may be entitled to receive from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
You can obtain information directly from the Department of Veterans Affairs by selecting a link listed below.
For information on state veterans benefits take a look the following links.
National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Where can I find the telephone number for the Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA) Regional office for my area?
A. The VA now has one toll free number that will connect the called to the VA Regional office for their area. The toll free number is: 1-800-827-1000.
Q. My first husband died of a service connected disability and I was receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) until I remarried. My second husband passed away last year. Since my second marriage has ended, can I begin to receive DIC again?
A. Yes. Legislation has since been enacted that allows for reinstatement of DIC for remarried survivors of members who died(s) of service connected causes, but whose second or subsequent marriages ended by death or divorce. The new law authorizes reinstatement to begin on Oct 1, 1998. There will be no payment of retroactive benefits. To apply for DIC contact the closest VA Regional Office at 1-800-827-1000.
Q. Will I lose my DIC if I remarry?
A. Only if you remarry prior to reaching your 57th birthday.
Q. Can DIC be restored for a surviving spouse who remarried?
A. Yes. DIC can be restored if the remarriage ended in death, divorce or annulment. Also, a surviving spouse who remarries on or after attaining age 57, and on or after December 16, 2003, can continue to receive DIC. However, a surviving spouse who remarried before December 16, 2003, and on or after attaining age 57, must apply no later than December 15, 2004, to have DIC restored..
Q. What is DIC and when is it payable?
A. Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is payable by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) when the military member's death was due to service-connected causes. The monthly rate for this tax-free income for 2005 is $993.00. An additional $247 is payable for each child younger than 18. Also, an additional $213 a month is added to the basic rate if the deceased service member had been entitled to receive 100% service-connected compensation for at least eight years immediately preceding death and the surviving spouse was married to the service member for those same eight years. For more information order MOAA's Help Your Surviving Spouse Now!.
Q. Are there circumstances whereby DIC is payable to a surviving spouse where death by the military member was not due to service-connected causes?
A. Yes. DIC is also payable if your death is not due to service-connected causes with the following provisions:
- you held the VA total service-connected disability rating continuously for 10 or more years immediately before death, or
- you held the VA total service-connected disability rating continuously since last release from active duty for at least five years, and you were married one or more years on the date of death, or
- the veteran was a former prisoner of war who died after Sept. 30, 1999, and who was continuously rated totally disabled for a period of at least one year immediately preceding death.