Question:

I am a Vietnam Vet with 100% total and permanent disability rating since 2018. If I pass away before my wife will she be eligible for a portion of my monthly disability pension no matter the cause of my death, or does my death have to be related to my disability?

Jim's Reply:

Veterans who die of any service connected condition leave eligible survivors with DIC benefits...not a "portion of monthly disability". The 2021 DIC rate is $1,340 for an eligible surviving spouse. If she is eligible for DIC she keeps the CHAMPVA health insurance.
 

You're rated as 100% so that eligibility still holds true until you've been rated as P & T for an uninterrupted 10 year period. Dying of a service connected condition will insure she's eligible for DIC but after 10 years you can die of anything and she'll still be eligible for DIC. 
 

In other words, stay healthy until 2028 and you can get run over by a truck and she'll have a good benefit to rely on. 
 

The downside is that if you were to be run over by that same truck tomorrow, no VA benefits are left behind.
 

More: https://www.vawatchdog.org/dic---survivor-benefits.html