If you're a military spouse or dependent who has just lost your loved one, figuring out what you need to do while grieving can be overwhelming. Here is a guide listing who to contact, what documentation you need and other considerations when a military service member or veteran dies.
Advertising Disclosure.Advertiser Disclosure: The Military Wallet and Three Creeks Media, LLC, its parent and affiliate companies, may receive compensation through advertising placements on The Military Wallet. For any rankings or lists on this site, The Military Wallet may receive compensation from the companies being ranked; however, this compensation does not affect how, where, and in what order products and companies appear in the rankings and lists. If a ranking or list has a company noted to be a “partner,” the indicated company is a corporate affiliate of The Military Wallet. No tables, rankings, or lists are fully comprehensive and do not include all companies or available products.
The Military Wallet and Three Creeks Media have partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Military Wallet and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. For more information, please see our Advertising Policy .
American Express is an advertiser on The Military Wallet. Terms Apply to American Express benefits and offers.
Whether you’re a spouse, a dependent who has recently lost your military veteran or you’re a retired military veteran looking to make sure all your “ducks are in a row” for your next of kin in case you pass away — knowing what to do when a military veteran or retiree dies is important.
In this guide, we’ll address how to prepare for the event of a military veteran passing, who you need to contact, required documentation and more.
First, you may need to contact the following agencies about the military member’s death:
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS)
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service is the military pay agency. You will need to make an initial verbal report of the retirees/veteran’s death immediately. You can contact DFAS by:
By reporting the military member’s death, you are notifying DFAS to stop military retirement pay. It is important to do this immediately, otherwise DFAS will recoup the payments later.
After they halt payment, DFAS will send out a packet for the surviving spouse or dependent to request survivor benefits payments. This packet will include:
Once you have completed these forms, return them to:
Defense Finance and Accounting Service U.S. Military Annuitant Pay
8899 E. 56 th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46249-1300
Be sure to include a copy of the military member’s death certificate
The casualty assistance office is in charge of taking requests as well as scheduling military funeral honors for the veteran who died. Funeral honors details will perform military rites for veterans, retirees and current service members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard.
Click here to find your local casualty assistance office.
The Casualty Assistance Office will require a copy of the completed DD Form 214.
In addition to funeral honors, the casualty assistance office may be able to help the family cope with the loss of their veteran, understand their entitlements and apply for various benefits.
Most often, funeral directors request a local veteran organization to provide funeral honors, but if specific arrangements are requested, talk to your Casualty Assistance Office about these requests.
The Casualty Assistance Office will need the following information in order to assist you:
Most deceased veterans are eligible for a free marker or headstone from the Veterans Administration and can be buried in a national cemetery. The VA may also help cover a burial allowance of:
You can use this allowance to cover funeral expenses.
Depending on the benefits program that the veteran and survivor are a part of, additional benefits may be available. To find out what additional benefits may be available to you, reach out to your local Veterans Service Office.
In order to start this process with the VA, you will need copies of:
For more information on eligibility requirements, benefits and how to submit your application, visit the VA’s burial benefits website.
After a military veteran or retiree dies, you must contact your local Social Security Administration office to report their death, though they may already be aware that your loved one has died.
Most surviving spouses, as well as dependents (under certain circumstances), will be eligible for benefits, including a one-time payment of $225 as a death benefit. If the deceased military member was the primary earner for your household, as a spouse you may begin receiving a larger social security payment.
In order to receive social security benefits, you must apply for them. Benefits are determined on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, contact your local Social Security Administration and schedule an appointment.
You can reach the national Social Security Administration office at 1-800-772-1213 for more information.
DEERS is the system that tracks active duty and retired military members, as well as their dependents, in order to document eligibility for benefits.
Contact DEERS as soon as possible at 1-800-538-9552 to tell them the military retiree or veteran has died.
DEERS will notify Tricare of the service member’s death so you will not have to contact them personally.
Although you don’t have to contact TRICARE directly, you will need to contact TRICARE’s program for retirees at 1-888-838-8738.
You will need to find out which health care plan your loved one had so you can notify the correct regional vendor of your loved one’s death. If you (or any dependents) remain eligible for these benefits, be sure to request that the “plus-one” insurance premium is reduced. This will ensure that you do not have to continue paying premiums for the deceased military member.
Billing for your health care benefits may change; the premiums can’t be deducted from your survivor benefits. Instead, you may need to pay a monthly bill for your health care coverage.
Select a VA Home Loan Option to Continue:
Explore My Options
Surviving spouses and family members of military personnel have access to free legal assistance at most military bases. The legal office can answer questions, offer advice and help you with forms or other documents like wills and powers of attorney.
While the legal office is there to assist you, they can not represent you in a courtroom. For legal assistance near you, contact your local JAG office.
In the event of a financial emergency, military relief organizations may be able to assist you.
To apply for financial assistance, download DA Form 700 via one of these websites:
Note: Each organization may have its own form, rules or regulations to apply for assistance.
Having all your documents in one place can help you when you report your service member’s death to each organization.
Keep the following documents on hand to streamline the paperwork process:
Other documents you might need include:
Check your VA Home Loan eligibility and get personalized rates. Answer a few questions and we'll connect you with a trusted VA lender to answer any questions you have about the VA loan program.
While it’s hard to consider your death or that of a loved one, being prepared can ease some of the burden while you or your loved ones grieve.
Start by getting your files together, these files might include:
Also, consider providing the following information:
After you’ve prepared your files, consider discussing your plans with your loved ones, pre-arranging funeral details and drawing up a will to make your wishes clear.
It may feel like a morbid task, but taking the time to discuss your wishes and organize documents can help make the process easier to handle when the time comes.
Jessica Gettle is a freelance writer, content creator, editor, and part-time aspiring baker. Jessica holds a degree in communications. As a former military brat and current military spouse, she has a passion for helping military members, learn about the resources available to them. Jessica travels all over the country enjoying the adventures the military life throws at them. When Jessica isn’t working or chasing around her son, she’s experimenting with new recipes for baked goods or curled up with a book.
About the comments on this site:
These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
My husband (a 20 plus veteran) passed last year (1 July). Is there anyone, within the military, that can help me with probate documents, including the home that we purchased in 1997, which they are claiming I need to redo paperwork to get the home in my name, even though we both signed when we purchased the house. I am located in Huntsville, AL.
Barbara, I’m sorry for your loss. You can contact the JAG office at Redstone Asernal in Huntsville, AL to see if this is something they can assist you with. But they generally focus on military law. I’m not certain whether or not they can assist with this matter. You may need to hire a local attorney. I wish you the best.
I requesed my 1099-R, 10 times, and never recived a copy, I make sure the address is correct, but nothing I think it might be sent to a Area Code 15113, in the U.S. ans I live in Spain
Explore Our Site:
© Three Creeks Media, LLC 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Presented by Mortgage Research Center, LLC. A mortgage licensee. NMLS ID 1907. Equal Housing Lender.
The Military Wallet is a property of Three Creeks Media. Neither The Military Wallet nor Three Creeks Media are associated with or endorsed by the U.S. Departments of Defense or Veterans Affairs. The content on The Military Wallet is produced by Three Creeks Media, its partners, affiliates and contractors, any opinions or statements on The Military Wallet should not be attributed to the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, the Dept. of Defense or any governmental entity. If you have questions about Veteran programs offered through or by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, please visit their website at va.gov. The content offered on The Military Wallet is for general informational purposes only and may not be relevant to any consumer’s specific situation, this content should not be construed as legal or financial advice. If you have questions of a specific nature consider consulting a financial professional, accountant or attorney to discuss. References to third-party products, rates and offers may change without notice.
Advertiser Disclosure: The Military Wallet and Three Creeks Media, LLC, its parent and affiliate companies, may receive compensation through advertising placements on The Military Wallet. For any rankings or lists on this site, The Military Wallet may receive compensation from the companies being ranked; however, this compensation does not affect how, where, and in what order products and companies appear in the rankings and lists. If a ranking or list has a company noted to be a “partner,” the indicated company is a corporate affiliate of The Military Wallet. No tables, rankings, or lists are fully comprehensive and do not include all companies or available products.
Editorial Disclosure: Editorial content on The Military Wallet may include opinions. Any opinions are those of the author alone, and not those of an advertiser to the site nor of The Military Wallet.
Information from your device can be used to personalize your ad experience.
