VA Form 21-534EZ Application for DIC, Death Pension, and / or Accrued Benefits

VA Form 21-534EZ Instructions

The application form gave applicants the possibility to request benefits in two ways: under the FDC Program or under the Standard Claim Process . For the application to be processed under the FDC, it was necessary to provide the following documents and information:

1. A completed and signed VA Form 21-534EZ.

2. A copy of the Veteran's Death Certificate, and

   • If claiming DIC: any relevant private medical treatment records, all service treatment and personnel records, a completed VA Form 21P-524, Statement of Person Claiming to Have Stood in Relation of Parent (for parents of the veteran), income and net-worth information (for parents of the veteran), VA Form 21-2680, Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance and VA Form 21-0779, Request for Nursing Home Information in Connection with Claim for Aid and Attendance (if claiming DIC with increased survivor benefits);
   • If requesting death pension: income data, net-worth information, completed VA Form 21-2680 and VA Form 21-0779 (if the applicant claimed death pension with increased survivor benefits).

3. Surviving spouse of the veteran also had to provide the marriage certificate.

4. To claim benefits for children or parents, it was required to attach a copy of the birth certificate or the court record of adoption.

5. If a veteran's child was between the ages of 18 and 23, it was necessary to submit a completed VA Form 21-674, Request for Approval of School Attendance.

6. To claim benefits for a seriously disabled veteran's child, private medical treatment records that testified the child's pertinent disabilities were necessary.

7. Besides, it was obligatory to attach a report for all VA medical examinations required by the VA.

All these documents and forms had to be submitted simultaneously. If you wanted to add some evidence later, your file was removed from the FDC and processed under the Standard Claim Process that gave you up to one year from the date the VA had received the application to gather and submit all the required papers. What's more, under the Standard Claim Process you could ask the VA to try to get documents that are not in your possession. The full list of all the necessary evidence and requirements was provided with the VA 21-534EZ Form.

How to Complete VA Form 21-534EZ?

The VA Claim Form (21-534EZ) was completed as follows:

1. Section I was obligatory for all applicants. It required personal data about the veteran, the applicant, their relationship, and the type of requested benefits.
2. You needed to complete Section II only if the veteran had never received any VA compensations or pensions. It contained a number of questions about the veteran's service.
3. Section III had to be filled out if you were claiming benefits as the surviving spouse of the veteran. It required a list of all your marriages and marriages of the veteran and basic information about these marriages.
4. The information about the veteran's children was entered in Section IV. This part was completed only if you requested benefits for the veteran's children.
5. Veteran's parents claiming the corresponding benefits had to provide the data requested in Section V.
6. Section VI was necessary to fill out if you applied for dependency and indemnity compensation. It had to contain a full list of VA medical centers where the veteran had received treatment pertaining to the claim.
7. If you were claiming death pension or parent's DIC, you had to enter in Sections VII, VIII, IX, and X all the information requested. It was not allowed to leave blank spaces in Sections VII, VIII, and IX. If the answer was "none," you needed to indicate "none" or "0" in the corresponding field.
8. Section XI was obligatory for all claimants and required direct deposit information.
9. Section XII contained claim certification that had to be read carefully, signed, and dated. Besides, if you did not want your claim to be considered under the FDC Program, you had to indicate it in Item 44.
10. If you signed Item 45A with an "X," two witnesses had to testify your signature in Section XIII.

Where to Mail VA Form 21-534EZ?

The completed VA 21-534EZ and all the supporting documents were mailed to the nearest local VA office. The applicant could find the address on the VA official website.