Many veterans receive VA compensation because they developed a service-connected disability while on active duty. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs also offers housing and education benefits to eligible veterans. Separate VA spousal benefits are also available for spouses of honorably discharged veterans with service-connected disabilities.
The VA considers any service member with a 100% rating as totally disabled and permanently unable to work. This level of disability creates obstacles for both affected veterans and their family members. Since totally disabled veterans cannot work, even with VA unemployability, their spouses may need additional support.
That is why, in these cases, a disabled veteran’s spouse may also qualify for VA benefits if they meet certain qualifications. The following programs are available to spouses of disabled veterans that assist with educational, monetary, and health care services.
At What VA Rating Are Spouses Eligible for VA Support?
There are two ways to secure veteran spouse benefits. The first option involves upping the veterans’ monthly benefit amount and getting payments as a dependent. Option number two involves qualifying for separate VA benefits entirely as the spouse of a 100% disabled veteran.
We will show some examples of how this might work. Veterans with at least a 30% VA disability rating and a dependent child or spouse can get higher monthly payments. This is because the amount of disability benefits goes up along with the VA rating percentage and number of dependents.
However, keep in mind that the benefit example above applies to eligible dependents only, not military spouses on their own.
Generally, the spouse of a disabled veteran with a 100% disability rating is eligible for separate VA benefits. These veterans qualify for the highest monthly benefit paid by the VA based on their rating and number of dependents. In addition to VA unemployability, their spouse will individually qualify for certain benefits from additional programs.
Types of Spousal Benefits Available for VA Spouses
There are many types of other benefits available for VA spouses, depending on their household circumstances and the veteran’s disability.
Health Care Benefits for Spouses
You can still qualify for VA health care coverage even if you aren’t eligible for TRICARE. The spouse of a 100% disabled veteran may be entitled to additional coverage through The Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, or CHAMPVA.
You must not be eligible for TRICARE at all in order to qualify for CHAMPVA. TRICARE is the Department of Defense’s healthcare program for service members and their families while on active duty or retired.
CHAMPVA works much like private health insurance. It covers most services deemed medically necessary by a licensed professional, such as:
- Ambulance services
- Family planning
- Medical equipment
- Prescription medicines
- Surgery
It also lets the VA reimburse veteran spouses for certain medical costs, such as the items listed above and nursing care.
Important: CHAMPVA is only available to spouses of disabled service members while they remain married. In the event of a divorce, former spouses are no longer eligible for CHAMPVA.
Educational Benefits for Spouses
The spouse of any veteran with a 100% service-connected disability may also qualify for education benefits. These come from either the Dependents’ Education Assistance Program (i.e., the DEA program or Chapter 35), or through the Fry Scholarship.
Important: Even though you may be eligible for both programs, you must pick one or the other. You cannot access more than one education benefit from the VA at the same time.
The DEA program offers monthly payments that go towards vocational training or continuing education purposes, such as:
- Apprenticeships
- Certifications for various career paths
- College courses
- Graduate degree classes
- On-the-job training
In most cases, these VA spousal benefits expire 10 years after the date when you first become eligible. Here, the effective date is whenever the VA declares your veteran spouse 100% disabled from a service-related injury.
The Fry Scholarship, or the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship, is available for surviving spouses if the veteran’s death occurred:
- In the line of active duty on or after September 11, 2001, or
- From a service-connected disability on or after September 11, 2001.
The Fry Scholarship offers up to 36 months of payments to assist with tuition, books, and housing. The veteran’s surviving spouse can use the GI Bill Comparison Tool to choose a VA-approved school and program.
Monetary Benefits for Spouses
Technically, there are no monetary VA spousal benefits for husbands and wives of a 100% disabled veteran on their own. However, a disabled veteran can receive additional monetary benefits if they have a dependent child or spouse.
Veterans with a service-connected injury qualify for VA disability compensation, which is a monthly tax-free payment. The monthly payment amount depends entirely on the veteran’s VA disability rating.
While educational benefits and medical coverage is limited to spouses of a veteran with a 100% disability rating, the couple will receive additional monetary benefits for the dependent spouse starting at a 30% disability rating. The additional payment for the spouse is automatic with the disabled veteran’s disability compensation and does not require any additional claims or qualifications.
State-Level Programs That Offer Benefits
Many states have programs that specifically offer benefits for spouses of 100% disabled veterans. For example, in Texas, the surviving spouse of a 100% disabled veteran may qualify for a 100% property tax exemption on their homestead after the veteran’s death. However, this rule only applies until the surviving spouse chooses to remarry. Some states also offer free counseling for the spouse of a 100% disabled veteran. The spouse of a 100% disabled veteran may also qualify for additional privileges, like a military ID card, commissary, and military exchange shopping access.
Because it depends on where you live, look for your state’s specific programs for eligible survivors to see what else you may qualify for.
Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC)
The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) provides benefits to a disabled veteran’s family caregiver. A family caregiver can be either:
- A family member of the veteran who is at least 18 years old.
- Someone who lives (or is willing to live) full-time with the veteran in order to provide care.
In order to qualify for the PCAFC program, the disabled veteran must:
- Have an honorable discharge from military service and at least a 70% disability rating.
- Require at least six months of continuous, in-person care at home. This includes help with feeding, bathing, transportation, receiving medication, and other services necessary for well-being and overall health.
The veteran can appoint one primary family caregiver and up to two secondary family caregivers. All eligible primary and secondary caregivers may qualify to receive:
- Caregiver training
- Mental health counseling
- Travel and lodging assistance to help the veteran travel to receive necessary care
Eligible primary family caregivers may also qualify for:
- Healthcare through CHAMPVA (if you don’t qualify for another plan)
- A monthly stipend
- at least 30 days of respite care per year
Important: These benefits are not available to every spouse of a disabled veteran, and it is not exclusively spouses who may qualify for this program.
However, because PCAFC is a comprehensive program that covers respite care, healthcare, monetary benefits, education and training, and health counseling, it saves the spouse or caregiver of a disabled veteran from having to apply to all of those different programs separately.
Benefits for the Surviving Spouse of a 100% Disabled Veteran or Service Member
Surviving spouses of 100% disabled veterans may qualify for tax-free VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payments.
As the surviving spouse, to qualify for VA dependency and indemnity compensation benefits, you must have either:
- Lived with the disabled veteran without any breaks until they passed away, or
- If separated at the time of death, show that you were not the one at fault.
And one of the following must also be true:
- You were married within 15 years of the veteran’s discharge from military service where they sustained a service-related disability, or
- Your marriage together lasted for at least one year, or
- You and the veteran or service member had a child together.
Important: The spouse of a deceased disabled veteran can only receive benefits until remarriage.
However, there are two exceptions to this rule:
- The date you remarried occurred on or after December 16, 2003 and you were at least 57 years old, or
- You waited until after January 5, 2021 to remarry and were at least 55 years old.
A surviving spouse may qualify for VA DIC payments if the VA rated the deceased veteran as 100% disabled:
- For at least a decade prior to death, or
- Since release from active duty and for at least 5 years immediately preceding death, or
- For at least one year before death if they were formerly a prisoner of war and passed away after September 30, 1999.
If a veteran dies with a pending disability claim or appeal, the surviving spouse may be eligible to apply for substitutions and accrued benefits. The surviving spouse may also qualify for survivor’s pension payments if the deceased veteran had qualifying wartime service, provided you also meet the net worth and income limits.
You May Be Eligible for Help With Your Claim
As the spouse of a 100% disabled veteran, it can be difficult and time-consuming to figure out what benefits you qualify for. You want to make sure that you understand your options, and get all the VA spousal benefits you’re entitled to.
In the past year, the VA reported that they made errors while reviewing nearly 1 in 5 claims. That means you have only an 80% chance of getting the right VA compensation amount, or approved at all.
We can connect you to a local VA-accredited attorney to review your claim free of charge and discuss your options.
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Jaclyn Peralez-Fleming is a freelance writer based out of Houston, Texas. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Radio-Television-Film. She is an active writer on several business and personal projects in development, and lives with her husband and two black cats.
