By Kayode Crown
al.com
(TNS)
Payments to surviving spouses of service members who died while serving or from a service-connected condition will increase under the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, or DIC, program, beginning with December payments.
Surviving spouses of veterans who died on or after Jan. 1, 1993, currently receive a base compensation of $1,699 per month.
But with the Social Security Administration putting the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for 2027 at 3.6%, that would increase to $1,760 in 2027. It adds $61 a month, and over a full year the payment rises from $20,392 to $21,126, an increase of $734.
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The spouse of a veteran who had a VA rating of total disability for at least eight full years leading up to their death and was married to the veteran for those same eight years currently gets $361 added to the monthly payment and therefore gets at least $2,060 per month.
But the 3.6% increase changes that to $2,134 per month, or a jump from $24,723 to $25,613 over one year, adding $890 in total.
There are also additional payments for each child under 18, for spouses with a disability who need help with daily activities, for spouses who are housebound, and for the first two years after the veteran’s death.
Combined, those additions currently bring the monthly total to $3,682 for s spouse with two children under 18. With the COLA applied, that rises to $3,815 and translates to the yearly benefit increasing from $44,187 to $45,777—$1,591 over one year.
For veterans who died prior to Jan. 1, 1993, the payment is tied to their pay grade. Spouses get up to $3,894 in base compensation for 2026. The 3.6% COLA for 2027 moves that to $4,034 per month, and the yearly pay from $46,726 to $48,408, for an additional $1,682.
The new rates will take effect Dec. 1, 2026, following congressional approval.
Photo credit: Tony Webster/Wikimedia Commons
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