VA Survivor Benefits in Washington State: DIC, Property Tax Grants, and Burial Rights

Surviving spouses of Washington veterans have access to two separate but complementary benefit systems: the federal VA program and a Washington-specific state benefit layer that sits on top of federal entitlements. Most families know about the federal VA benefits — the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) and burial allowances — but miss the Washington-specific property tax grant that can save thousands of dollars annually, because it's filed through the state Department of Revenue rather than through the VA.

Federal VA Benefits: DIC and Burial Allowances

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is the VA's primary ongoing monthly payment to surviving spouses of veterans who died from a service-connected condition. To qualify:

• The veteran must have died from a disease or injury related to their military service, OR
• The veteran must have been rated totally and permanently disabled by the VA for at least 10 years before death (or at least 5 years from the date of separation from service if the veteran served for less than 10 years), OR
• The veteran must have been a former Prisoner of War who died while rated totally disabled

DIC payments are not means-tested — eligibility is based on the cause and circumstances of the veteran's death, not on the survivor's income or assets. The monthly amount is set by Congress and adjusted annually for cost of living.

Important: DIC and Social Security survivor benefits are separate and can both be received simultaneously. The Government Pension Offset that reduces Social Security for DRS pension recipients does not apply to VA DIC payments.

VA Burial Allowances: The VA provides monetary allowances toward burial expenses for eligible veterans:

• Service-connected death: Higher burial allowance if death was related to military service
• Non-service-connected death (hospitalized at VA): A smaller burial allowance applies
• Non-service-connected, non-VA hospitalized: The base burial allowance applies if the veteran received VA pension or disability compensation

Apply for burial allowances using VA Form 21P-530 (Application for Burial Benefits). File within two years of the burial. Bring the veteran's DD-214, death certificate, and funeral expense receipts.

Burial in a Washington National Cemetery

Eligible veterans and their surviving spouses can be buried in a VA national cemetery at no cost to the family. Washington has three national cemeteries:

• Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent (largest and most commonly used)
• Washington Soldiers Home Cemetery in Orting
• Mann-Leiser Memorial Cemetery at Ilwaco

Burial in a national cemetery includes the grave site, liner, opening and closing of the grave, and a government headstone or marker — at no charge. If the veteran was already buried in a private cemetery, the surviving spouse can still be interred in a national cemetery when they die, and the VA will provide a marker for the private cemetery grave.

To schedule burial in a national cemetery, contact the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-800-535-1117. Pre-planning is strongly encouraged — national cemeteries can fill up, and scheduling in advance ensures availability.

The veteran's DD-214 is required. If the DD-214 is missing, replacement copies can be requested through the National Archives Military Personnel Records Center at 1-314-801-0800 or online at archives.gov. The replacement process takes several weeks to months — initiate it immediately if the document cannot be located.

Washington State Property Tax Grant for Veterans' Widows and Widowers

This is the benefit that most surviving spouses of Washington veterans miss entirely, because it is administered by the Washington Department of Revenue — not by the VA or the county assessor.

Eligibility requirements:

• You are the unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who:
  • Died as a result of a service-connected disability, OR
  • Was rated 100% permanently and totally disabled by the VA for at least 10 years prior to death, OR
  • Was a former Prisoner of War

Annual filing deadline: March 31. This is a hard deadline. Missing it forfeits the entire year's grant.

Where to file: Directly with the Washington Department of Revenue — not your county assessor. This is the most common error. The standard senior property tax exemption goes through the county assessor; this veterans' widow grant goes through DOR.

Documentation required:

• DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty)
• Official VA disability rating letter or death certificate confirming service-connected cause of death
• Proof of your income (the grant amount depends on your Combined Disposable Income tier)

Grant amounts (based on CDI tier):

• At or below Threshold 1: grant applies to the first $200,000 of the home's assessed value
• Threshold 2: grant applies to the first $150,000 of assessed value
• Threshold 3: grant applies to the first $100,000 of assessed value

To put this in concrete terms: in King County, where the property tax rate is roughly 1% of assessed value, a grant covering $200,000 of assessed value saves approximately $2,000 per year in property taxes. Over 10 years, that's $20,000 in savings that many eligible survivors are leaving unclaimed because they don't know to file with DOR by March 31.

Combined Disposable Income is calculated the same way as for the standard senior exemption: start with your gross income, add income of co-tenants, and subtract out-of-pocket medical expenses including Medicare premiums, prescription drug costs, and long-term care insurance premiums. The county-specific thresholds for Threshold 1 range from $38,000 (rural counties like Lincoln) to $76,000 (King County) for the 2027 tax year.

Surviving Spouse Transition From VA Pension to DIC

If the veteran was receiving VA pension — the needs-based income support for non-service-connected veterans — the surviving spouse may qualify for Survivors Pension (also called Death Pension) if the death was not service-connected and they do not qualify for DIC. Survivors Pension is means-tested and provides a monthly payment that, combined with the survivor's own income, cannot exceed annual threshold amounts set by Congress.

Survivors Pension and DIC are mutually exclusive — if you qualify for DIC (service-connected death), you cannot receive Survivors Pension simultaneously. DIC is typically the higher payment and the preferred benefit where available.

Washington Department of Veterans Affairs Additional Programs

The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) offers supplemental services beyond federal VA benefits:

• Veterans Innovations Program (VIP): Short-term financial assistance for qualifying veterans and their dependents facing immediate financial crisis
• County Veterans Assistance Programs: Many Washington counties operate their own veterans assistance funds that can provide direct financial help for housing, utilities, and other immediate needs

Contact WDVA at 1-800-562-2308 or wdva.wa.gov for referrals to county-level programs available in your area.

The Washington Survivor Benefits Navigator includes the VA DIC application checklist, the DOR veterans widow property tax grant instructions with the March 31 filing reminder, and a reference guide for county veterans assistance programs across Washington's 39 counties.

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