Question:
Hello Jim. My husband died last October. He was rated P&T/TDIU. I was approved for DIC in November. I am planning on moving to be close to my daughter so called the 800 number to get a letter to see what benefits I was eligible for. They sent me a letter back and on the bottom of the letter it states:
You are in receipt of CPDS.
Your monthly award is $0.00.
The veteran died as a result of a service connected disability: No. (He did)
Was the veteran considered P&T at the time of his death: No (He was)
Do you have any idea what this means? What should I do?
Thanks!
Jim's Reply:
My condolences, I'm sorry for your loss.
CPDS is a payee code used to designate who is eligible to be paid. Otherwise the data indicates that you are not eligible for DIC benefits because he was not rated as permanently and totally disabled when he passed nor did he die of a rated service connected disability.
You disagree with that and you say that he was P & T and that he died of a service connected condition.
You'll have to appeal the decision if you were denied. There is no way to avoid that. You can seek help from a veterans law attorney here.
Good luck.