Title 38Veterans' BenefitsRelease 119-73

§1310 Deaths entitling survivors to dependency and indemnity compensation

Title 38 › Part PART II— - GENERAL BENEFITS › Chapter CHAPTER 13— - DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY COMPENSATION FOR SERVICE-CONNECTED DEATHS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY COMPENSATION › § 1310

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must pay dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) to a veteran’s surviving spouse, children, and parents when the veteran dies after December 31, 1956, from a disability that is service-connected or compensable. Whether a disability is service-connected is decided under the rules found in chapter 11 of this title. Survivors cannot get DIC unless the veteran was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable from the period of service when the fatal disability happened, or the veteran died while in active service. If a person got a payment under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 2210 note), that does not stop DIC, but the amount paid under that Act will be deducted from the DIC payment.

Full Legal Text

Title 38, §1310

Veterans' Benefits — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)When any veteran dies after December 31, 1956, from a service-connected or compensable disability, the Secretary shall pay dependency and indemnity compensation to such veteran’s surviving spouse, children, and parents. The standards and criteria for determining whether or not a disability is service-connected shall be those applicable under chapter 11 of this title.
(b)Dependency and indemnity compensation shall not be paid to the surviving spouse, children, or parents of any veteran dying after December 31, 1956, unless such veteran (1) was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable from the period of active military, naval, air, or space service in which the disability causing such veteran’s death was incurred or aggravated, or (2) died while in the active military, naval, air, or space service.
(c)A person who receives a payment under the provisions of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 2210 note) shall not be deprived, by reason of the receipt of that payment, of receipt of dependency and indemnity compensation to which that person is otherwise entitled, but there shall be deducted from payment of such dependency and indemnity compensation the amount of the payment under that Act.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, referred to in subsec. (c), is Pub. L. 101–426, Oct. 15, 1990, 104 Stat. 920, which is set out as a note under section 2210 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare.

Amendments

2021—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–283 substituted “air, or space service” for “or air service” in two places. 2004—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 108–454 added subsec. (c). 1991—Pub. L. 102–83, § 5(a), renumbered section 410 of this title as this section. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–83, § 4(b)(1), (2)(E), substituted “Secretary” for “Administrator”. 1988—Subsecs. (b), (c). Pub. L. 100–687 redesignated subsec. (c) as (b) and struck out former subsec. (b) which read as follows: “(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, when any veteran dies, not as the result of the veteran’s own willful misconduct, if the veteran was in receipt of or entitled to receive (or but for the receipt of retired or retirement pay was entitled to receive) compensation at the time of death for a service-connected disability that either (A) was continuously rated totally disabling for a period of ten or more years immediately preceding death, or (B) if so rated for a lesser period, was so rated continuously for a period of not less than five years from the date of such veteran’s discharge or other release from active duty, the Administrator shall pay benefits under this chapter to the veteran’s surviving spouse, if such surviving spouse was married to such veteran for not less than two years immediately preceding such veteran’s death, and to such veteran’s children, in the same manner as if the veteran’s death were service connected. “(2) If a surviving spouse or a child receives any money or property of value pursuant to an award in a judicial proceeding based upon, or a settlement or compromise of, any cause of action for damages for the death of a veteran described in paragraph (1) of this subsection, benefits under this chapter payable to such surviving spouse or child by virtue of this subsection shall not be paid for any month following a month in which any such money or property is received until such time as the total amount of such benefits that would otherwise have been payable equals the total of the amount of the money received and the fair market value of the property received. “(3) For purposes of section 1448(d) and 1450(c) of title 10, eligibility for benefits under this chapter by virtue of this subsection shall be deemed eligibility for dependency and indemnity compensation under section 411(a) of this title.” 1982—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 97–306 inserted “or entitled to receive” after “was in receipt of”. 1978—Subsecs. (b), (c). Pub. L. 95–479 added subsec. (b) and redesignated former subsec. (b) as (c). 1976—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 94–433 substituted “such veteran’s surviving spouse” for “his widow”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 94–433 substituted “surviving spouse”, “such veteran”, and “such veteran’s” for “widow”, “he”, and “his”, respectively.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2004

Amendments

ubsec. (c) of this section effective with respect to dependency and indemnity compensation payments for months beginning after Mar. 26, 2002, see section 302(c) of Pub. L. 108–454, set out as a note under section 1112 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1982 Amendment; Retrospective Payments Pub. L. 97–306, title I, § 112(b), Oct. 14, 1982, 96 Stat. 1432, provided that: “(1) The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall take effect on
October 1, 1982. “(2)(A) As soon as practicable after
September 30, 1982, the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs shall pay an amount determined under subparagraph (B) to each person who would have been entitled to a payment under chapter 13 of title 38, United States Code, for any part of the period beginning on
October 1, 1978, and ending on
September 30, 1982, if the amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] had taken effect on
October 1, 1978. “(B) The amount of any payment to a person under subparagraph (A) is the amount equal to the total of all payments under chapter 13 of title 38, United States Code, that would have been made to that person for the period described in such subparagraph if the amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] had taken effect on
October 1, 1978.”

Effective Date

of 1978 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 95–479 effective Oct. 1, 1978, see section 401(a) of Pub. L. 95–479, set out as a note under section 1114 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1976 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 94–433 effective Oct. 1, 1976, see section 406 of Pub. L. 94–433, set out as a note under section 1101 of this title. GAO Report Relating to Benefits for Survivors of Veterans and Members of Armed Forces Pub. L. 102–568, title I, § 104, Oct. 29, 1992, 106 Stat. 4322, required the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to Congress a report, with specified contents and due not later than Apr. 1, 1994, with respect to the most appropriate combination of financial, health-care, educational, and other survivor benefits to meet the needs of survivors of veterans. Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Program Pub. L. 94–433, title II, § 204, Sept. 30, 1976, 90 Stat. 1376, directed Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs to study dependency and indemnity compensation program authorized by this chapter in order to evaluate benefits provided by program and to determine whether, or to what extent, benefits should be based on military pay grade of person upon whose death entitlement is predicated, and directed Administrator to submit to Congress and President not later than Oct. 1, 1977, a report containing results of study together with Administrator’s recommendations for improvement of program. Study by Administrator of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Claims Pub. L. 94–71, § 204, Aug. 5, 1975, 89 Stat. 397, directed Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs to make a study of claims for dependency and indemnity compensation relating to veterans who at time of death during period Sept. 1, 1975 to Mar. 1, 1976, were receiving disability compensation based upon a total and permanent disability and required report to be submitted to Speaker of House and President of Senate no later than Oct. 1, 1976. Pub. L. 93–295, title II, § 207,
May 31, 1974, 88 Stat. 183, directed Administrator to make a study of claims for dependency and indemnity compensation relating to veterans who, at time of death within six months of
May 31, 1974, were receiving disability compensation, and to report to Speaker of House and President of Senate no more than 30 days after beginning of 94th Congress.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

38 U.S.C. § 1310

Title 38Veterans' Benefits

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73