Surviving Spouse and Dependents

Healthcare

• Veterans Home (restrictions apply)

Financial

• Hardship Grant
• Veterans Aid Fund Loan
• Property Tax Exemption

Education​

• Free dependent tuition (restrictions apply)

Veterans Appreciation

• Special state license plate

Healthcare

• Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) - To be eligible for CHAMPVA, you cannot be eligible for TRICARE, and you must be in one of these categories:
  1. The spouse or child of a Veteran who has been rated permanently and totally disabled for a service-connected disability by a VA regional office.
  2. The surviving spouse or child of a Veteran who died from a VA-rated service-connected disability.
  3. The surviving spouse or child of a Veteran who was at the time death rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability.
  4. The surviving spouse or child of a military member who died in the line of duty, not due to misconduct (in most of these cases, these family members are eligible for TRICARE, not CHAMPVA).

CHAMPVA Customer Service Call Center 
8:05 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST 
Monday through Friday 
800-733-8387 - See more at: http://www.va.gov/purchasedcare/programs/dependents/champva/

Financial

• Home Loan Guaranty
• Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
  • paid to eligible survivors of military Servicemembers who died in the line of duty or eligible survivors of Veterans whose death resulted from a service-related injury or disease
• Parents' Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
  • ​​tax free income-based monthly benefit for the parent(s) of military Servicemembers who died in the line of duty or Veterans whose death resulted from a service-related injury or disease
• Survivors Pension
  • ​​tax-free monetary benefit payable to a low-income, un-remarried surviving spouse and/or unmarried children of a deceased Veteran with wartime service
• Unlimited commissary and exchange store privileges
  • For unremarried surviving spouses and dependents of Servicemembers who die on active duty, military retirees, recipients of the Medal of Honor, and Veterans whose service-connected disability was rated 100 percent or totally disabling at the time of death​

Employment

• Civil Service Preference

Education​

• Survivors Dependents' Educational Assistance
  • ​​provides education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of certain veterans
• ​Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship
  • ​Children of an active duty member of the Armed Forces who has died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, are eligible for this benefit. A child may be married or over 23 and still be eligible.