  We reanalyze the effective field theory approach for the scenario in which
the particles that account for the dark matter (DM) in the universe are vector
states that interact only or mainly through the Standard Model-like Higgs boson
observed at the LHC. This model-independent and simple approach, with a minimal
set of new input parameters, is widely used as a benchmark in DM searches and
studies in astroparticle and collider physics. We show that this effective
theory could be the limiting case of ultraviolet complete models, taking as an
example the one based on a spontaneously broken U(1) gauge symmetry that
incorporates a dark gauge boson and an additional scalar that mixes with the
standard Higgs boson. Hence, despite the presence of the new degrees of
freedom, measurements of the invisible decay branching ratio of the Higgs
boson, as performed at colliders such as the CERN LHC, can be interpreted
consistently in such an effective framework and can be made complementary to
results of DM searches in direct detection experiments.
