VA Benefits for Spouses of Totally Disabled Veterans

VA benefits aren't only available to former service members who become disabled. Spouses, children, and other dependents can get education and health care benefits (such as college tuition and access to medical treatment) if the veteran is "totally and permanently disabled."

What Are the Totally Disabled Veteran Qualifications?

Veterans are considered totally and permanently disabled if they have a 100% disability rating, determined by either the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities or Individual Unemployability (also called Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability, or TDIU).

Getting a 100% Service-Connected Disability Compensation Rating

Veterans are totally and permanently disabled if they have received a rating of 100% for service-connected disability compensation and the VA doesn't expect the condition to improve. It's pretty easy to figure out if the veteran has a 100% rating—the rating is stated on most of the paperwork the VA sends, including the original letter granting benefits.

To find out if the VA doesn't expect the condition to improve (and therefore permanent), take a look at the decision letter the VA sent to the veteran when granting benefits. Look for phrases like "Eligibility to dependents Chapter 35 DEA / CHAMPVA are established," "No future exams are scheduled," or similar language. The exact working used may vary with different VA regional offices, but they will indicate that the 100% disability rating is permanent.

If, however, the letter says "future exams are scheduled," then the 100% total disability rating is temporary and may be reduced by the VA after additional medical reexaminations.

Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability Rating

Veterans can receive a 100% disability rating based on individual employability if they can't hold down a steady job because of a service-connected disability, and one of the following is true:

• the veteran has at least one service-connected disability rated at 60% or above, or
• the veteran has two or more service-connected disabilities, with at least one rated at 40% or above, and a combined rating of 70% or above.

TDIU ratings can be temporary or permanent. Even if your award letter says future exams aren't scheduled, the VA can choose to bring you in for reexamination at any time if your rating is considered temporary. If you're not sure whether the VA considers your disability permanent, you'll need to write to the VA and request a permanent rating. Include medical evidence showing that your medical condition cannot be expected to improve in the future.

Make sure you submit Form 21-2140, Employment Questionnaire, to your VA Regional Office every year to maintain your TDIU status. Mail it around the time of year that you got your award letter, whether you receive a reminder from the VA or not. Not all offices will send you the questionnaire or remind you that you're required to submit it, but if you don't, you may get your disability rating reduced.

100% Disabled Veterans Benefits for Spouses

Once the veteran's total and permanent TDIU or service-connected disability rating has been established, spouses of 100% disabled veterans can qualify for a range of benefits, including health care and education assistance.

VA Medical Benefits for Spouses

Spouses of permanently and totally disabled veterans can qualify for medical treatment through the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA)—provided they don't also qualify for TRICARE, a separate Department of Defense health care program for active duty members, retired veterans, and their dependents.

CHAMPVA is a comprehensive program, covering treatments such as mental health services, ambulatory surgery, durable medical equipment, family planning, hospice, skilled nursing care, and organ transplants. You can find more details about what services are covered and which are not covered in the CHAMPVA program guide. You'll receive a copy of the program guide after you've signed up for CHAMPVA.

You can begin the process of getting CHAMPVA coverage by submitting Form 10-10d, Application for CHAMPVA benefits, along with Form 10-7959C, CHAMPVA-Other Health Insurance Certification and any documents relating to your Medicare status to the following address:

VHA Office of Community Care
CHAMPVA Eligibility
PO Box 469028
Denver, CO 80246-9028

You can also fax the application materials to 303-331-7809. According to the VA, once your application has been received, it can take as quickly as six weeks to receive your CHAMPVA card if your application is complete when you send it, or up to eight months if the VA needs to confirm your information with other federal agencies.

College and Educational Benefits for Veteran Spouses

Through the Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA, or "Chapter 35") program, spouses of permanently disabled veterans can receive monthly reimbursements to help them cover the cost of educational expenses such as:

• college or graduate degree programs
• career-training certificate or diploma courses
• apprenticeships or trade schools
• on-the-job training
• licensing and certification tests
• national testing, like college admissions exams, and
• prep courses.

Keep in mind that the VA may impose a time limit for these spousal benefits. If the event that qualified you for DEA (in this case, the date that your veteran spouse became 100% disabled) happened before August 1, 2023, your benefits could end after 10 or 20 years, depending on how long after discharge your spouse received the permanent disability rating. If your spouse didn't receive a 100% disability rating until after August 1, 2023, you don't have a time limit on your DEA spousal benefits.

Before you apply for DEA, check with the VA regional office in the state where you'll be attending your program to make sure that it's eligible for reimbursement. You can also review the Chapter 35 benefit rates to help choose which program makes the most financial sense. When you're ready to apply, you can complete Form 22-5490, Dependents' Application for VA Education Benefits online using the official web portal, or you can print out the form and mail it to the regional office corresponding to the state your school is located in.

If you're taking a correspondence course (distance learning), you'll have to ask the school or employer to complete Form 22-1999c, Certificate of Affirmation of Enrollment Agreement—Correspondence Course. Submit Form 22-1999c along with your application.

VA Surviving Spouse Benefits After the Death of a 100% Disabled Veteran

Widows and widowed spouses of permanently and totally disabled veterans may be eligible for additional survivor's benefits. For example, the VA's Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a tax-free monthly cash benefit available to qualifying widows and widowers depending on the status of their relationship with the deceased veteran.

DIC Benefits for Surviving Spouses

To qualify for DIC as a surviving spouse, you'll need to establish a few things. First, you'll need to show that you lived with the veteran without a break until their death, or if you're separated, that the separation wasn't your fault. You'll also need to show that at least one of the following is true:

• you married the veteran within 15 years of their discharge from the period of military service during which their disabling condition began or worsened
• you were married to the veteran for at least one year, or
• you had a child with the veteran.

If you remarried, you can still receive DIC benefits if you were 57 years of age or older and remarried on or after December 16, 2003, or you were 55 years of age or older and remarried on or after January 5, 2021.

You can file for DIC benefits using Form 21P-534EZ, Application for DIC, Survivors Pension, and/or Accrued Benefits. You can submit your application online using the QuickSubmit tool, in person at your local VA office, or by mailing it to the following address:

Department of Veterans Affairs
Pension Intake Center
PO Box 5365
Janesville, WI 53547-5365

Make sure that you're ready to provide your late spouse's medical treatment records as evidence when you submit your application. You may also want to consider contacting a certified attorney, claims agent, or Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representative for help with your application.

Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship

Also known as the "Fry Scholarship," this educational benefit is available to surviving spouses and children of veterans who died from a service-connected disability on or after September 11, 2001. The scholarship can provide up to 36 months of money for tuition, housing, books, and supplies. Surviving spouses can be eligible for the Fry Scholarship until they remarry, and they can receive DIC benefits at the same time.

Veterans Life Insurance for Surviving Spouses

Totally disabled or terminally ill veterans may get their insurance premiums waived or pay spousal benefits early in certain situations. For example, 100% disabled veterans who are covered under Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) can keep their coverage for up to two years after the date they left the military. You can apply for this extension by filling out the SGLI Disability Extension Application (SGLV 8715) and sending it to the office address listed on the application.

Veterans who are individually unemployable and covered by Service-Disabled Veterans Life Insurance (S-DVI) may qualify for a waiver of their premiums if the total disability occurs before they turn 65 but after the effective date of the policy, and lasts for at least six months in a row. Note that S-DVI stopped taking new applications after December 31, 2022, but veterans who are still covered under the policy can keep it.

Lastly, spouses of terminally ill veterans who have SGLI, Family SGLI, or Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) can get up to 50% of the face value of the insurance coverage paid (in increments of $5,000) before death, if the veteran has a doctor's note saying they have nine months or less to live. The surviving spouse may also qualify for a burial allowance or memorial items.

Can Surviving Spouses Get Medical Treatment for Veterans' Kids?

As "dependents," kids are generally entitled to the same VA benefits as spouses or widows are. Minor children are eligible for CHAMPVA until they turn 18, and adult children can receive CHAMPVA coverage as long as they're in school full-time, unmarried, and (for step-children), living in the veteran's household.

If the child is a "helpless child over 18"—defined as becoming permanently incapable of supporting themselves before reaching the age of 18—and their parent is a surviving spouse who is also eligible for DIC, the "helpless child" can receive additional monthly DIC payments.

More Resources for Spouses and Widows of Disabled Vets

The VA provides additional benefits for family members of disabled or deceased veterans. For example, 100% disabled veterans may qualify for subsidized assisted living care. Surviving spouses struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments can get help with refinancing. Some states offer their own assistance (like property tax exemptions) for veterans and their families. Finally, because many totally disabled veterans qualify for Social Security benefits as well, surviving spouses and children may be entitled to SSDI auxiliary payments as well.