[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) are introducing bipartisan legislation to adjust monthly benefits for family members and survivors of veterans who lost their lives in service to our country.

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)—the rate of compensation paid to survivors of servicemembers who die in the line of duty or veterans who die from service-related injuries or diseases—has been minimally adjusted since its establishment in 1993. The Senators’ bipartisan Caring for Survivors Act of 2025 will bring parity to payments for DIC recipients, which currently lag behind other Federal program payments by nearly 12 percent. 

“Families of the fallen – and all survivors of service men and women who’ve perished – deeply deserve the justice this measure would provide,” said Blumenthal. “They’ve suffered unimaginable grief and pain—and their losses should be fairly recognized. This cause is rightly bipartisan, and justice is long overdue.”

“One of the most important ways we can care for the loved ones of servicemembers who have made the ultimate sacrifice is to live up to the promises we made to them and their families,” said Boozman. “Increasing DIC benefits for our fallen military heroes’ families to match those of other federal survivor programs honors the commitment we made to them and provides critical economic support to those grieving.”

Under current law, DIC restricts benefits for survivors if the veteran was disabled for less than ten years before his or her death. The Caring for Survivors Act would reduce the timeframe a veteran needs to be rated totally disabled from ten to five years—broadening eligibility to more survivors.

Veterans Service Organizations applauded the Senators’ bipartisan effort to provide surviving spouses and family members their due benefits.

“The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is grateful for the leadership of Senators Blumenthal and Boozman for introducing the Caring for Survivors Act of 2025,” said Bonnie Carroll, Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors (TAPS). “This important bipartisan legislation strengthens Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for 506,000 eligible survivors, and reduces the timeframe a veteran needs to be rated totally disabled allowing more survivors, who likely would have been caregivers, to become eligible for critical DIC benefits. As a long-term priority for the survivor community, we will continue to work to ensure its passage in the 119th Congress.”  

“One of the most solemn obligations our nation has is to care for disabled veterans and their families, and Disabled American Veterans (DAV) believes that support should not end when the veteran dies,” said Jon Retzer, Deputy National Legislative Director for Health for DAV. “Their survivors deserve equitable benefits, such as Dependency and Indemnity Compensation equal to the rates of federal civil service retirees survivor benefits. DAV thanks Sen. Blumenthal and Sen. Boozman for their leadership in addressing this longstanding injustice through the re-introduction of the Caring for Survivors Act, and we call on Congress to pass this important legislation.”