VA announces survivors of veterans may be eligible for benefits under PACT Act

The American Legion

MAR 24, 2023

The Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that surviving spouses or children of a veterans who died from a PACT Act-related condition may qualify for VA benefits, including monthly benefits through the VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) Program.

Surviving spouses and children of veterans who had claims previously denied for conditions that are now identified as presumptive conditions under the PACT Act, may now reapply.

If your loved one passed away form a PACT Act-related condition, the VA encourages you to apply for DIC benefits now. Learn more information about the PACT Act and how to file a claim at va.gov/PACT. American Legion service officers stand ready to assist veterans with their VA claims at no charge. To find a service officer in your area, please visit this web page.

When filing a VA DIC, the surviving spouse or child of a veteran will use VA Form 21P-534EZ. If you’re a surviving parent, you will use VA Form 21P-535.

Since the PACT Act was signed into law Aug. 10, 2022, the March 17 copy of the VA PACT Act Performance Dashboard shows there have been:

– 362,934 PACT Act claims filed (352,922 are veterans/10,012 are survivors)

– 151,843 PACT Act claims completed (149,035 are veterans/2,810 are survivors)

– 2,174,087 toxic exposure screenings (41.5% of the screenings showed veterans had at least one potential exposure)