VA announces major survivor benefits reforms

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on May 5 announced a three-pronged approach to eliminate barriers and streamline the process for how eligible survivors and dependents of deceased Veterans and servicemembers apply for and receive VA benefits and services.

Starting this month, specific improvements include:

-The VA’s Office of Survivors Assistance will be moved from the Veterans Benefits Administration to the Office of the VA Secretary. In 2021, the Biden administration moved OSA from the Office of the VA Secretary to the Veterans Benefits Administration, creating a system at odds with the intent of the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2008. Now, the VA will move OSA to the Office of the VA Secretary, where a staff of five full-time employees will advise the Secretary on all matters related to the policies, programs and legislative issues affecting survivors and dependents.

-The VA will create a “white-glove” survivor outreach team to guide and assist eligible survivors throughout their Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) claims process. Under previous administrations, there were gaps in the survivor claims system and no defined outreach process for VA employees to gather information from survivors navigating the benefit process.

The newly created “White-Glove” Survivor Outreach Team will begin operations in May 2025 and consist of experts based out of the Philadelphia VA Regional Benefit Office. These experts will receive specialized training and guide and assist eligible survivors throughout every step of the DIC claims process with the goal of getting to “yes” on DIC claims decisions for eligible survivors.

-The VA will begin work to identify areas where automation can be used to make the DIC claims process easier to navigate for survivors. Currently, the VA automates more than 1,000 DIC claims payments or adjustments per day and is in the process of ongoing enhancements to increase automation that will expedite survivors’ claims and improve their experience.

The VA will also be identifying additional areas where automation can be used to make all benefits delivery processes easier to navigate for eligible surviving dependents.

“The last thing survivors need in their time of grief is frustrating red tape and bureaucracy. That’s why we are creating a better system to more quickly and effectively provide survivors the services, support and compassion they’ve earned,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins.