I am 60 years old, 100% T&P, and getting SSDI.

Could somebody tell me what benefits, monitary and otherwise, will my wife get when I die?

OK, my first thought is DIC:

DIC is a monthly benefit paid to eligible survivors of a
·military service member who died while on active duty, OR
·veteran whose death resulted from a service-related injury or disease, OR
·veteran whose death resulted from a non service-related injury or disease, and who was receiving, or was entitled to receive, VA Compensation for service-connected disability that was rated as totally disabling
-for at least 10 years immediately before death, OR
-since the veteran’s release from active duty and for at least five years immediately preceding death, OR
-for at least one year before death if the veteran was a former prisoner of war who died after September 30, 1999.

Who Is Eligible?
The surviving spouse if he or she:
·validly married the veteran before January 1, 1957, OR
·was married to a service member who died on active duty, OR
·married the veteran within 15 years of discharge from the period of military service in which the disease or injury that caused the veteran’s death began or was aggravated, OR
·was married to the veteran for at least one year, OR
·had a child with the veteran, AND
·cohabited with the veteran continuously until the veteran’s death or, if separated, was not at fault for the separation, AND
·is not currently remarried.

She will also be eligible for her normal Social Security along with the DIC.

For gods sake MAKE SURE SHE KNOWS ABOUT DIC!

I worked with a Widow last fall whos husband had been a POW of the Japanese in WW2....he died of a massive heart attack when he was 60 (easily linked to the conditions he lived under as a POW). She never knew about DIC and did not apply until 15 years after his death....granted, they gave her back pay for 1 year prior to application and the ongoing of 1067/month, but she could have use that money all along.

DONT depend on the VA to tell your wife what she is eligible for! YOU tell her right now.

When I talked to a VA rep, he was unclear.

He mention 2 or 3 things that added up to about 1/2 my 100% for my wife when I die, and was very confusing. I was wondering if you might know what he was talking about.

I tried to get thru to SocSec, but have spent way too much time on hold, and have no answer to the question of what she will end up with when she gets her own SS benefits after they consider mine... if anything.

Any help would be appreciated.

Well, I could list al possible benefits, but that would confuse you, so lets look at the short list:

DIC: $1,091 per month, no other income limitations. (edited, new rate is 1091 per month)

Survivors Pension: Ranges from $625 to $1063 per month (Assuming just her, no dependant children). The survivors pension DOES look at other incomes and gets her from her current income to the maximum allowable (Depending on if she gets around on her own with no problems - Low end of pay scale to if she needs the regular Aid and Attendance of another person - High End of scale).

Also, for her to be eligible for the pension YOU must have served 1 day during a period of war, minimum of 90 days total active duty service if you enlisted before 1980.

So the difference in these 2 programs:

Pension:

If you pass and she received (just tossing in a number here) $800 a month in Social Security AND gets around OK AND doesnt have large medical bills, she would not receive any payment from the Survivors pension...her income would stay at $800 a month from Social Security.


DIC:

If you pass and she receives $800 a month in Social Security, she would also receive $1,091 a month in DIC in addition to the Social Security for a total income of $1,891 per month.

Also, there are if/ands concerning additional payment rates on the DIC...IF you were rated at 100% for 8 years prior to your death AND she was married to you for those same 8 years she receives an additional $233/month.

I could spend post after post after post explaining how the pension programs and DIC work, but it appears to me that DIC is easily her better route to follow, however, any SO worth the air he or she is breathing will put her in for DIC AND Survivors pension on the same application, she will receive whichever is the higher rate she is eligible for.

I'll be completely honest here and say if you have even the slightest gut feeling your time is limited, get the paperwork, fill it out yourself, put a note on that tell her to sign it and then give it to a SO you trust to do a good job for her after you are gone. Odds are she wont know the information she needs for the claim (your dates of service, Ser#, etc). Leave it for her to do nothing more than sign and submit and make sure a friend of yours will double check that she did submit it.

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Thanks, Just what I wanted.
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