VA Survivor Benefits in Texas: DIC, Survivor Pension, and Property Tax Exemptions

The federal VA benefits available to surviving spouses and children of veterans are among the most significant and long-lasting financial resources available after a death — but they don't come automatically. You have to apply, provide documentation, and in some cases make strategic choices about which benefit to pursue.

Texas also layers state-specific benefits on top of the federal ones, particularly around property taxes. Here's the complete picture.

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation is a tax-free monthly payment from the VA to surviving spouses, dependent children, or dependent parents of veterans whose death was connected to their military service.

Who qualifies for DIC:

• Surviving spouse of a veteran who died in the line of duty
• Surviving spouse of a veteran who died from a service-connected disability (a condition the VA had already rated as connected to military service)
• Surviving spouse of a veteran who had been rated 100% permanently and totally disabled under the Individual Unemployability standard for at least 10 years before death — even if the death itself was not from a service-connected cause

This last category is significant: if your spouse had a 100% P&T disability rating for a decade, DIC may be available even if the cause of death was unrelated to the service-connected condition.

Amount: DIC is a set monthly rate established by Congress and adjusted annually. The base rate is $1,699.36 per month effective December 1, 2025 (the 2026 rate) for a qualifying surviving spouse. Additional allowances may apply for dependent children, the 8-year provision, Aid and Attendance, or housebound status.

DIC continues for life, provided you remain the qualifying surviving spouse. Remarriage can affect eligibility, but VA currently allows continued DIC for remarriages on or after January 5, 2021, when the surviving spouse was at least 55, and for qualifying remarriages on or after December 16, 2003, at age 57 or older.

VA Survivors Pension

The Survivors Pension (sometimes called the Death Pension) is a needs-based benefit for unremarried surviving spouses and unmarried children of deceased wartime veterans.

Veteran eligibility requirements:

• Active duty service during a recognized wartime period (WWII, Korea, Vietnam, or the Gulf War era)
• Minimum 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a wartime period
• For veterans who enlisted after September 7, 1980: generally 24 months of active-duty service required

Surviving spouse requirements:

• You are the unremarried surviving spouse of the qualifying veteran
• Your combined income falls below the annually adjusted income limits set by Congress

The Survivors Pension has income and net worth limits that are applied to your household. The VA will review all income sources (Social Security, private pensions, part-time work) when determining eligibility.

If you have significant income from other survivor benefits, you may not qualify for the Survivors Pension, which is explicitly means-tested. However, Aid and Attendance or Housebound allowances can supplement the basic pension rate if you need assistance with daily activities.

How to Apply: VA Form 21P-534EZ

Both DIC and the Survivors Pension are applied for using VA Form 21P-534EZ (Application for DIC, Death Pension, and/or Accrued Benefits). You submit one form and the VA determines which benefits apply to your situation.

Required supporting documents:

• Certified copy of the veteran's death certificate
• Proof of the veteran's military service (DD Form 214 for post-WWII veterans; alternate records for earlier service)
• Copy of your marriage certificate
• For DIC based on service-connected death: documentation of the service-connected condition (VA rating decision letters)
• For Survivors Pension: income and financial information for the current year

Submit the form online or follow the current mailing instructions on the VA form; a VA regional office can also help. The Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) operates free assistance programs with trained representatives who can help you file and navigate the process. Contact TVC at https://tvc.texas.gov.

File as soon as possible. If a DIC or Survivors Pension claim is filed within one year of the veteran's death, the benefit may be effective from the date of death under the applicable VA rules; otherwise, it generally cannot be paid for a period earlier than the date VA receives the claim.

Texas Property Tax Exemptions for Veteran Survivors

This is where Texas adds substantial additional value on top of federal VA benefits.

Total property tax exemption (Tax Code Section 11.131): If your deceased spouse received a 100% disability rating from the VA and had that rating applied to a Texas homestead exemption before death, the surviving spouse can retain the total property tax exemption — meaning $0 in property taxes on the homestead — as long as you remain unmarried and continue to reside in the home.

This is a complete elimination of property taxes. For a home with a $6,000 annual property tax bill, this is $6,000 per year, for life, as long as you stay in the home and remain unmarried.

Surviving spouse of veteran with qualifying service-related death (Tax Code Section 11.136): An unremarried surviving spouse of a qualifying veteran may receive a total residence-homestead exemption when the property remains the residence homestead.

To claim either exemption: File Form 50-114 with your county appraisal district. For Section 11.131, attach the VA rating decision showing the 100% disability; for Section 11.136, attach documentation confirming the qualifying condition or disease. In either case, include the veteran's death certificate and your marriage certificate.

VA Burial Benefits for Texas Veterans

Federal burial allowance: The VA provides burial allowances ranging from $1,002 plus a $1,002 plot allowance for a non-service-connected death on or after October 1, 2025, up to $2,000 for a service-connected death, depending on whether the death was service-connected, whether the veteran was receiving VA pension or compensation, or whether the death occurred in a VA facility.

VA national cemetery: Veterans are entitled to burial in a national cemetery at no charge, with a grave marker provided by the government. In Texas, the major VA national cemeteries include:

• Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery (San Antonio)
• DFW National Cemetery (Dallas-Fort Worth)
• Houston National Cemetery

Texas State Veterans Cemeteries: Texas operates state veterans cemeteries in Abilene, Corpus Christi, Killeen, Lubbock, and Mission. Eligible veterans and, in most cases, their spouses and dependents can be buried there at no cost.

Apply for burial in a national cemetery through your funeral director or directly through the VA. For a Texas state cemetery, confirm eligibility and arrangements with the Texas Veterans Land Board.

Coordinating VA Benefits With Other Survivor Claims

VA benefits and Texas survivor benefits operate independently. Receiving DIC does not reduce TRS or ERS death benefit eligibility, and it does not affect Social Security survivor benefits. The two federal rules that used to complicate this picture — the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, which reduced Social Security for people drawing a TRS or ERS pension from non-covered employment — were repealed by the Social Security Fairness Act on January 5, 2025, for benefits payable from January 2024 onward. A surviving spouse can now stack DIC, a full TRS or ERS pension, and a full Social Security survivor benefit with no offset between them.

The Texas Survivor Benefits Navigator covers VA benefits in the context of all other Texas survivor benefits — with the right order to apply and what to bring to each application. If you're navigating a veteran's death in Texas, that's the complete resource.

See more Texas guides →