July 13, 2026

Marriage Alone Does Not Guarantee Benefits One of the most common misunderstandings among surviving spouses in the CSRA is the belief that simply being married to a Veteran or Servicemember automatically entitles them to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). Unfortunately, that is not always the case. What is DIC? Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a tax-free monthly benefit paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to eligible surviving spouses, children, and sometimes parents of Servicemembers or Veterans whose death resulted from a service-connected condition or who met certain