Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Definition

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a tax-free monetary benefit paid to eligible survivors of military service members who died in the line of duty or eligible survivors of veterans whose death resulted from a service-connected condition.  According to VA, the surviving spouse of a veteran is eligible to receive DIC if they:

• Were married to a service member who died “while on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training”; or
• Were legally married to the veteran before January 1, 1957; or
• Married the veteran within 15 years of military discharge when the service-connected condition that caused the veteran’s death began or was aggravated; or
• Were married to the veteran for at least one year immediately preceding the veteran’s death; or
• Had a child or children with the veteran; and
• Continuously lived with the veteran until their time of passing; and
• Were not separated from the veteran, or if separated, were not responsible for the separation; and
• Are not currently remarried