First 30 days after your veteran dies

Call 1-800-827-1000. Required — stops the veteran's compensation and starts the survivor record. Have the vet's full name, date of birth, date of death, and file/SSN ready.

You will need them for VA, SSA, DFAS, life insurance, banks, the deed, and on and on. The funeral home can usually order them; cost is per copy and trivial relative to the friction of running short.

Call 1-800-772-1213. The SSA may pay a one-time $255 death benefit and surviving spouses or kids may qualify for survivor's Social Security. SSA is separate from VA DIC — file both.

Call 1-800-321-1080. Stops retirement pay and starts the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity if the vet elected coverage. The SBP-DIC offset rule was fully repealed in 2023 — surviving spouses now receive both in full.

Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance — up to $500,000 — pays out within weeks. File SGLV 8283 with the branch. Ideally within 1 year; benefit doesn't expire but earlier is easier.

Free. They will walk you through every form on this page and catch the ones you didn't know existed. Find one at the VA OGC accreditation directory.

This is the most important step. Filed within 1 year of death, the effective date is the date of death — meaning months of back pay. Filed late, you only get DIC from the date you filed forward. Even if you're not sure you qualify, file. The VA will sort it out.

Surviving spouses and kids of active-duty or retired members may keep TRICARE — typically 3 years for the spouse of an active-duty death, indefinitely for retiree survivors who pay the premium. Confirm enrollment status on milConnect.

Different from DIC — Survivors Pension is need-based for surviving spouses and unmarried kids of deceased wartime vets. If income is low, file even if you also file DIC; the VA will pay whichever is higher.

Add-on payment if the surviving spouse needs help with daily activities (bathing, dressing, eating, transferring) or is bedridden. Doctor's statement required.

Up to $2,000 reimbursement for a service-connected death; lower tiers for non-SC. Plot allowance and transportation reimbursement may also apply. File within 2 years of burial.

If the vet died on active duty or shortly after, the branch should have assigned a CAO. If not assigned, call the branch's Casualty Assistance line and request one — they handle the paperwork hand-holding for active-duty deaths.

Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance — up to 36 months of monthly payments for school. File VA Form 22-5490. Spouses and kids both qualify.

If the service member died in the line of duty after 9/11/2001, the Fry Scholarship covers 100% of in-state tuition at public schools and is more generous than DEA for most situations.

Surviving spouses of vets who died from a SC condition (or were P&T at death and certain conditions met) qualify for the VA-backed home loan with no funding fee. Apply for a Certificate of Eligibility before house-hunting.

Property tax exemptions, license-plate fee waivers, in-state tuition for kids, hunting/fishing licenses — every state has its own. Most states require you to apply within 1 year of death for some benefits.

Your beneficiary designations on everything (401k, IRAs, life insurance, TSP) need updating. So does the will. Estate planning is a separate workflow from the VA paperwork — it's worth its own afternoon.

If TRICARE ends (e.g., 3 years after an active-duty death), CHAMPVA may pick up healthcare coverage. Eligible if the vet was rated 100% P&T or died from a SC condition. Apply with VA Form 10-10d.

If the vet transferred Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to you or the kids before death, the transferred entitlement continues. Different rules than DEA — confirm enrollment status with the VA Education Service.

DIC is tax-free. SGLI payouts are tax-free. But your filing status changes — usually to qualifying widow(er) for 2 years, then single or head of household. A CPA who has handled military survivor returns is worth the fee.

Children of service members killed in the line of duty receive special consideration in service academy and ROTC admissions. Worth flagging early if the kid has any interest in military service.