Mesothelioma Survivor Benefits and VA Pensions

What Are VA Mesothelioma Survivor Benefits?

While many mesothelioma VA benefits are offered to veterans fighting this cancer, the VA also has several mesothelioma survivor benefits that can help the family members of U.S. veterans who passed away.

Top mesothelioma survivor benefits include:

VA Survivors Pension: This pension is available to surviving spouses and children who meet specific requirements. The VA Survivors Pension starts at $11,699 for 2026.
VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC): This is monthly compensation for family members.
VA burial benefits: These benefits help loved ones put to rest and honor a deceased veteran.

The financial payouts from mesothelioma survivor benefits can be used in any way you see fit, like helping to pay for medical expenses related to a veteran’s mesothelioma diagnosis, utilities, mortgages, and more.

Burial benefits can also allow you to give a veteran an honorable send-off at little to no cost, as the VA covers most or all of the expenses.

We can help file mesothelioma VA claims for survivors at no cost for those eligible. Get started right now.

Who Qualifies for VA Mesothelioma Survivor Benefits?

Who qualifies for VA survivor benefits will vary, as each benefit has its own requirements. Most are available to surviving spouses and children. Some are also available to surviving parents of veterans.

Some VA survivor benefits are also income-restricted, as they are meant for those making under a certain amount of money annually.

Call (877) 450-8973 now to find out if you may be eligible for VA mesothelioma survivor benefits.

VA Survivors Pension for Mesothelioma

A VA Survivors Pension provides tax-free monthly payments to the surviving spouses and children of U.S. veterans if their income is below the amount set by the VA. The base pension rate is $11,699 annually for surviving spouses without dependent children.

How much money may be paid out depends on various factors. Below, learn if you may be eligible to receive a VA pension and, if so, how much money you could receive.

Who Can Receive a VA Survivors Pension?

You must meet several eligibility requirements in order to receive a VA pension. The most important is the financial requirement.

Your net worth must be under under $163,699. If you have more than this, you’re not eligible to receive a pension. The VA considers your annual income and investments as part of your net worth but not your house or your car.

There are also different requirements depending on your relationship with the veteran and the veteran’s service.

Spouse Requirements	Dependent Children Requirements	Deceased Veteran Requirements
Must not have remarried following the veteran’s death	Must not be married	Not dishonorably discharged
Income and net worth are below Congressional limits	Under 18 OR under 23 and going to a VA-approved school OR cannot care for themselves due to a disability that developed before turning 18	Served prior to 9/7/1980 for 90 days (with at least 1 day of wartime service) OR served after 9/7/1980 for 24 months or the full service period (with at least 1 day during war) OR served after 10/16/81 with no prior active duty service

Mesothelioma VA Survivors Pension Rates

If you meet the eligibility requirements listed above for a mesothelioma survivors pension, the VA uses two metrics to determine how much money you’ll receive.

Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR): The VA provides a different MAPR depending on your circumstances. The base MAPR for 2026 for spouses is $11,699, but you can get more if you qualify for Aid and Attendance (A&A) or Housebound benefits and/or if you have a dependent child.
Your income: The VA subtracts your yearly income from the MAPR amount to determine how much you receive.

So, if your MAPR is $18,187 and your income is $12,000, you’d receive $6,187 paid out in monthly installments.

Download VA forms for free here, or have our VA-Accredited Attorney fill them out for you!

VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (VA DIC)

Family members of U.S. veterans who have passed away could qualify for VA DIC. This monthly benefit is similar to a VA pension because the veteran’s family can receive tax-free monthly compensation.

Spouses can receive $1,699.35 a month or more through VA DIC if eligible.

Who Can Receive VA DIC?

Spouses, dependent children, and even parents of U.S. veterans who have passed away may qualify for VA DIC. Crucially, the veteran with mesothelioma must have died while serving or from a service-connected injury or illness.

Many families will be eligible for VA DIC if a veteran passed away from mesothelioma. This is because asbestos (the only known cause of this cancer) was used between the 1930s and early 1980s by all U.S. military branches. Many mesothelioma cases are linked back to active-duty asbestos exposure.

Surviving spouses and dependent children must not be married, while surviving parents must have an income below a set amount to get VA DIC.

VA Survivor Benefits Rates for DIC

How much is available through VA DIC depends on the survivor’s relationship to the veteran.

Spouses can receive $1,699.35 monthly, with more money added depending on how long the veteran was disabled, if the spouse qualifies for A&A and Housebound veterans benefits, and if they have dependent children.
Dependent children can receive $356.66 per month if they’re 18-23 and in school or $717.50 a month if they’re 18 or older and can’t care for themselves due to a disability.
Parents may receive a minor stipend depending on their yearly income. This stipend ranges from a few hundred dollars to just $5.

See if you can work with our VA-accredited lawyers for free to get VA DIC and other mesothelioma survivors benefits. Call (877) 450-8973 now to get started.

Funeral and Burial Benefits

The VA offers many funeral and burial benefits to family members who lost a U.S. veteran. These mesothelioma survivor benefits allow loved ones to honor a veteran’s sacrifice and service to our country.

Notable VA funeral and burial benefits include:

Allowances to cover the funeral and transporting the veteran’s remains
Burial in a national VA cemetery
Funeral service honors like a color guard
Headstone provided at no charge
Memorial items like U.S. flags, certificates, and medallions

The veteran must have been honorably discharged from the military for their family to qualify for these benefits.

Who Can Receive VA Funeral Benefits?

Surviving spouses, children, parents, and executors of a veteran’s will can all apply for VA funeral benefits.

The VA may automatically provide surviving spouses with funeral reimbursement compensation if the veteran was already getting other benefits. Other loved ones can apply before the burial or even afterward to get reimbursed.

Family and loved ones must apply for other VA funeral benefits, like a headstone or memorial items, separately.

VA Burial Allowance Rates

The VA provides $2,000 to families burying veterans who died after September 11, 2001, from a service-related health problem. If a veteran didn’t die for a service-related reason, the VA pays different amounts depending on when they died.

For example, if a veteran passed away on or after October 1, 2025, the VA will award you $1,002 to bury them and an additional $1,002 for their grave plot.

Other Mesothelioma Survivor Benefits

Besides the mesothelioma survivors benefits listed above, there are several others that family or loved ones could be eligible for.

Additional mesothelioma survivor benefits include:

Health care: The VA offers health care to surviving spouses of U.S. veterans through a program called TRICARE.
Home loans for surviving spouses: Spouses can apply for a Certificate of Eligibility to get a home loan through the VA. There are different loan options that the VA can help with.
Life insurance benefits: If a veteran had VA life insurance at the time of their death, their survivors may be entitled to the proceeds depending on who the veteran named as their beneficiaries.
Survivors’ and Dependents’ Education Assistance (DEA): Through this program, you can get financial aid for job training or school.

Find out which VA mesothelioma survivor benefits you can receive by working with our team. We have VA-accredited mesothelioma attorneys on staff who can help at no cost to you.

File for VA Mesothelioma Survivor Benefits and Pensions

The various benefits offered by the VA can go a long way to helping survivors of veterans with mesothelioma afford expenses like leftover medical bills and stay financially secure.

If you lost a U.S. veteran you love to mesothelioma, the Mesothelioma Veterans Center stands ready to help you access the VA benefits you deserve.

Our VA-accredited mesothelioma lawyers:

Are able to help you file for VA survivor benefits quickly
Can inform you of other compensation options
Don’t charge any upfront fees for their services

Get help filing for VA mesothelioma survivor benefits now or call (877) 450-8973 to get started.

Mesothelioma Survivor Benefits and Pensions FAQs

Are mesothelioma survivor benefits taxable?

Generally speaking, mesothelioma survivor benefits are not taxed. VA Survivors Pensions, dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC), and funeral coverage are all tax-free.

Speak with a member of our team to learn if any survivor benefits could be subject to taxes or not.

What is the net worth limit for VA Survivors Pension?

The current net worth limit for a VA Survivors Pension is under $163,699.

Your net worth includes your annual income and assets like furniture, investments, and boats. The VA does not count your home, car, or basic items like appliances toward your net worth.

Are patients with mesothelioma entitled to compensation?

Yes, mesothelioma patients can receive financial compensation from several different sources.

These include:

Monthly payouts from VA benefits worth over $4,000 a month
Lawsuits that average $1 million+
Asbestos trust funds, which contain $30 billion

Surviving family members and loved ones may also be able to receive compensation for mesothelioma through many of the same options.

It’s possible to access VA mesothelioma survivor benefits and pursue lawsuit and trust fund compensation, all at the same time.

Get help with the mesothelioma claims process by calling (877) 450-8973 now.

How much is compensation for mesothelioma after death?

Yes, you may be able to file a claim for mesothelioma after the death of a loved one.

If someone you love was a U.S. veteran who died from mesothelioma, you can apply for VA survivor benefits. It’s also possible to claim compensation by filing a mesothelioma wrongful death lawsuit.

Our compassionate team can help you file for VA survivor benefits after the death of a loved one. Get help now.