Surviving spouses of a veteran may be eligible for a VA Survivors Pension, which offers monthly payments to surviving spouses and unmarried dependent children (under age 18) of wartime veterans.

“We have had veterans or surviving spouses in tears on the phone or in front of us, thanking us for it. We can't take any type of gifts or anything from them,” he said.

“We have had veterans or surviving spouses in tears on the phone or in front of us, thanking us for it. We can't take any type of gifts or anything from them,” he said.

According to the VA, under the Biden administration there was a 24 percent increase in the claims backlog, rising from 213,000 on January 20, 2021, to nearly 250,000 on the same day in 2025.

More than $50 million in federal grant money will be available for local groups to provide suicide prevention and other services for America's at-risk veteran population, the VA said Wednesday.