Survivor and DIC Appeals Data
What 121,000+ Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions show about survivor claims: how often cause-of-death service connection is granted, why 38 USC 1318 claims almost never win, and a 35-year trend that has moved sharply in survivors' favor. Refreshed weekly from the live decision corpus.
The Three Ways a Survivor Claim Reaches the Board
Cause of death (service connection): the claim that a service-connected condition caused or substantially contributed to the veteran's death. This is the main path to DIC, and the one the Board grants most often.
38 USC 1318: DIC without proving cause of death, available only when the veteran was rated totally disabled for the 10 years before death (or 5 years from separation, or 1 year for former POWs). The time requirements are mechanical, which is why the Board grants so few: most appeals fail the calendar, not the medicine.
Accrued benefits: money the VA already owed the veteran at death (an unpaid grant or a pending claim), paid to the survivor. A separate question from DIC and decided on the record as it stood at death.
Full eligibility rules and current payment rates: the DIC benefits page.
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Disclaimer: This data is for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Board outcomes reflect appeal-level decisions and may not represent initial claim results at the regional office. Individual outcomes depend on the specific record. Always consult a VA-accredited representative for guidance on a specific claim.