• Establish DIC equity with other federal survivor benefits. Currently, 2020 DIC is set at $1,340 monthly (approximately 40% of a 100% disabled retiree’s compensation). Survivors of federal civilian workers have their annuity set at 55% of their Disabled Retiree’s Compensation. TMC supports raising DIC payments to 55% of VA Disability Compensation for a 100% disabled veteran. Moreover, when compensation is increased the law should ensure that DIC eligible survivors under the old system receive an equal increase.
• Increase DIC payable to survivors of catastrophically disabled veterans to match other Federal survivor benefit plans. Catastrophically disabled veterans, whose spouses serve as primary care givers, receive additional allowances due to the severity of their service-connected multiple disabilities. These spouses perform full-time duty which precludes them from working towards a retirement or Social Security benefits in their own right. When the veteran dies, the surviving spouse's income is reduced to the same Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payment that other surviving spouses of veterans receive, whose death was service connected. The percentage of replacement income can be as little as 15%. The income replacement of other federal survivor benefit plans is close to 50% of the benefit upon which they are based. Congress should provide for survivors of catastrophically disabled veterans on a similar basis.
• Improve the speed of adjudicating and granting DIC to survivors of deaths caused by service-connected disability.

Improve the Death Gratuity

• Change the name of the Death Gratuity to more accurately reflect intent and sensitivity.
• Secure a minimum of 50% of the Death Gratuity for Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) eligible spouses.

• The longstanding purpose of the death gratuity has been to provide immediate cash payment to assist eligible survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces to meet their financial needs and obligations during the period immediately following a service member's death when the paycheck stops and before other survivor benefits become available.
• Eligible family members often incur substantial out-of-pocket funeral expenses since the government can only reimburse a travel voucher and cannot authorize a travel advance.

Retain survivor benefits upon remarriage

• Seek legislation to allow surviving spouses to remarry at any age and retain benefits, to include Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), education benefits, and medical military ID cards.
• Update the definition of surviving spouse in 38 USC § 101 Paragraph 3 by removing the “hold yourself out to be married” clause and term “opposite sex.” (VFW)
• Ensure surviving spouses’ access to electronic medical records and referrals for their children.
• Allow surviving spouses to maintain education benefits after remarriage.
• Consistent with the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP) and CHAMPVA, allow surviving spouses to retain TRICARE with remarriage at age 55.
• Seek legislation to reinstate TRICARE benefits for remarried survivors when the second marriage ends. (Joint goal with Health Care Committee)

Authorize survivors of retirees to draw full month's retired pay for the month in which retirees die. (Joint goal with Retired Affairs Committee)
Increase VA Survivors’ Death Pension linking death pension benefits to the federal poverty level determined each year by the Department of Health & Human Services.

Increase lending protections for uniformed service members, veterans, survivors and family members. (Joint goal with Veterans Committee).

Authorize an open enrollment period for the Survivor Benefit Plan.

COVID-19 Related

• Ensure that the VA takes a closer look at death certificates when the cause of death is COVID-19 to ensure the deceased veteran does not have an underlying service-connected health condition that could have been exacerbated by COVID-19. )