I have been a surviving spouse for 24 years. My husband, a 33-year veteran of the Marine Corps and a naval aviator, died in 2001 from heart disease. He was never a member of MOAA.   

I became acquainted with MOAA in 2019 during a visit to Washington, D.C. It was a chance meeting during Advocacy in Action, at which time some in the group learned I was the widow of a Marine Corps officer. I was led to the registration booth and immediately became a MOAA member. I learned there are approximately 47,000 surviving spouse members of MOAA — representing about 12% of the association’s members. I’m now a proud Life member.

This brief encounter started a journey for me to be as active as possible. I became my local chapter’s surviving spouse liaison and then a member of the Surviving Spouse Advisory Council (SSAC). 

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Through my involvement with MOAA, I learned about VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). As my husband served in Vietnam and was exposed to Agent Orange, it was determined his exposure subsequently caused the heart disease that contributed to his death. This qualified me to receive this benefit. With the help of a local veterans service officer (VSO) and the VA Office of Survivor Assistance, I will receive this tax-free monthly compensation for the rest of my life.

Suppose you are the surviving spouse, child, or parent of a servicemember who died in the line of duty, or the survivor of a veteran who died from a service-related injury or illness. In that case, you might be eligible to receive this tax-free monetary benefit. Visit the VA’s website to learn more. 

For additional information and support, contact a local VSO if one is available in your community. Not all VSOs are as helpful as others, but I finally found mine. 

To prepare for opening a VA claim for disability or other benefits compensation, applicants must possess the following documents:

• Military discharge (DD Form 214) — original or certified copy is best
• Other military service information (branch, dates of service, Reserve or National Guard service dates, etc.)
• Medical records (military and/or civilian) if available, and if applying for a service-connected disability, contact information for civilian medical providers who treated the veteran for military-related illnesses or injuries (i.e., doctors, specialists, hospitals, etc.)
• Bank deposit information (i.e., voided check ) — the VA will automatically deposit into this account if benefits are awarded

If the above documents are not available, veterans or surviving kin can request them online at www.archives.gov/veterans.

[RELATED: Do You Know Where Your Military Paperwork Lives?]

For additional information and support, review news articles, publications, and resources related to survivor benefits at MOAA.org, as well as VA.gov.