The Senate unanimously passed the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 (H.R. 2297), which was signed into law by President Bush in December 2003. This legislation restored entitlement to DIC, home loan, and educational benefits for surviving spouses who marry on or after their 57th birthdays.
Senator Collins' would like to make surviving spouses aware of the restoration of this benefit, and would like to remind those who are eligible that the deadline for applying for this benefit is December 15, 2004. Applications received after the deadline will be denied by the VA.
"The Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 provides crucial survivor benefits to those who have lost spouses to service-related causes while serving our country," said Senator Collins. "I sincerely hope that Maine's surviving spouses will take advantage of the restoration of DIC benefits before the deadline passes."
Generally, DIC benefits are available to the surviving spouses of military service members who died while on active duty or as a result of a service-related cause. Prior to the passage of the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003, DIC benefits were not made available to surviving spouses who had remarried unless those subsequent marriages ended. Under the new law, surviving spouses, who have remarried after age 57 and before December 16, 2003, have a limited time to apply for the restoration of DIC.
For more information on the DIC restoration, please call the VA's toll free number at 1-800-827-1000 or the VA's website at (www.va.gov). You can also contact Senator Collins' Maine offices with questions about the application process. The phone numbers are: Portland 780-3575, Bangor 945-0417, August 622-8414, York County 283-1101, Lewiston 784-6969, and Aroostook County 493-7873.
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