By Larry Dandridge
This is the final article in a four-part series on this subject. It would take 25 articles, each of 1,000 words or more, to cover everything veterans and their families need to know about planning their veteran’s death, burial, memorial, and survivor’s benefits.
Use a VSO and do your homework. It is essential to:
- Ask a county Veterans Service Office’s VA-accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO) or another VSO to help veterans and their families understand VA benefits, prepare for the passing of loved ones, and apply for their veterans’ benefits. See The Island News article “Things you need to know about Veteran Service Officers”, dated Sept. 4, 2024 (https://bit.ly/43ZAC4R).
- Download, read, and follow the detailed advice in the “VA Planning Your Legacy (VA Survivors and Burial Benefits) Kit/Pamphlet” at https://bit.ly/45DfsKW.
- Read more than 20 VA webpages and publications at www.va.gov, most of which are listed in Article 1 of 4 in this series devoted to this subject. (See https://bit.ly/4emRLsO).
- Obtain copies of your military service records (DD214/discharge records, military personnel records, and military medical records). Veterans and next of kin can obtain free copies of a DD-214 and other service records from U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Fax or mail Standard Form SF 1804, Request Pertaining to Military Records, to the address indicated on the back of the form, or fill out the form online at https://bit.ly/3GfQTt7. For inquiries or urgent needs (e.g., surgery or funeral), call NARA at 314-801-0800.
What to Do and When
Preparing for the passing of a loved one, or oneself, can be a difficult and confusing time. According to the “VA Planning Your Legacy Kit” the following informs you of what you may need to do, and when, to ensure your survivors have the information and documents needed to obtain the benefits they may be entitled.
For the Veteran, when discussing your final wishes with your loved ones:
1. Discuss your military service and any VA disability rating information with your family, and if possible, locate copies of your military separation document(s), such as your DD214.
2. Use VA-Form 21-686C (see https://bit.ly/44fGFB0) to document your and your spouse’s marital histories. This information may be needed if your spouse applies for VA benefits after your death.
3. Discuss your final wishes regarding your remains. If you wish to be buried in a national cemetery, consider applying now for pre-need burial eligibility.
4. Discuss if any life insurance programs the VA offers are needed to cover your or your family’s expenses.
5. Complete and annually review your life insurance beneficiary designation(s).
For the veteran’s family, as the veteran is approaching the end of life:
1. Speak to the veteran’s doctor about obtaining copies of medical records before and after the veteran’s death.
2. Discuss with the veteran where and when they have received treatment for any medical conditions you believe may have been incurred during or exacerbated by their military service.
3. If you believe the veteran may be entering into their period of final illness, begin keeping a record of any medical expenses related to that final illness.
4. If the veteran wishes to be interred in a national cemetery, locate their pre-need burial approval (if they applied), or clarify their wishes regarding where they would like to be interred.
For the veteran’s parents, spouse, or dependent children, after the veteran’s passing:
1. Consider if you wish to apply for VA Survivors’ Pension or Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC).
2. If the veteran had a VA Life Insurance or other policy, prepare and submit a claim with the required documentation.
3. If you have a medical condition, disease, or injury that necessitates the aid and attendance of another person in performing your daily life activities, or are housebound, have your physician complete a statement outlining your medical condition.
4. If you believe the veteran’s death was related to a condition incurred or exacerbated by military service, obtain copies of any private medical records from the veteran’s physician (VA hospital records and military medical records can be obtained by VA). See The Island News article “VA Survivor Benefits, Death Certificates, VSOs”, Dec.13, 2023 (https://bit.ly/45Cy1is).
Reporting a veteran’s death
If you are the survivor of a veteran who has died or their legal representative, the VA encourages you to contact the VA as soon as possible to report the death.
Provide as much information as possible, including full name, Social Security number or VA claim number, date of birth, date of death, and branch of service. If you are reporting a death in person at a VA regional office or by mail, provide copies of these documents if you have them:
- Death certificate or other public record of the veteran’s death.
- Discharge document (like DD214).
When a Veteran dies, the VA wants to make sure their survivors avoid debt from benefit overpayments. When you contact the VA to report a death, the VA will stop any benefit payments the veteran was receiving.
How to contact the VA
Calling is the fastest way for you to report a death, so the VA knows to stop benefit payments. You can also report in person at a VA regional office or by mail.
By phone: Call the VA at 800-827-1000 (TTY: 711) and select 5.
In person: Go to a VA regional office. Find the nearest reginal office at https://www.va.gov/find-locations/?
By mail: If you report by mail, be sure to include:
- Your relationship to the veteran; and
- Any supporting documents that can help us verify the veteran’s identity
Send the information to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Claims Intake Center
P.O. Box 4444, Janesville, Wis. 53547-4444.
VA contact information
If you wish to speak directly to a VA representative, contact VA at the following phone numbers:
- For burial, Survivors Pension, DIC, or other benefits: 1-800-827-1000.
- For the status of VA headstones and markers: 1-800-697-6947.
- For obtaining bereavement counseling: 1-877-927-8387.
- For Telecommunications Device for the Deaf services: Dial 711.
- For VA Life Insurance information related to Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance, Traumatic Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance, Family Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance, and Veterans’ Group Life Insurance: 1-800-419-1473 or visit www.benefits.va.gov/insurance.
- For VA Life Insurance, Veterans’ Mortgage Life Insurance or other VA Insurance programs, call: 1-800-669-8477 or visit www.benefits.va.gov/insurance.
Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, a combat and service-connected 100% disabled veteran, an ex-Enlisted Infantryman, an ex-Warrant Officer Pilot, and a retired Lt. Colonel. His over 250 articles on veterans’ benefits, leadership, logistics, hospice, law enforcement, and aeronautics have been published in over 20 magazines and newspapers in the USA, Germany, and England. Larry is a former Veterans Service Officer, a Patient Adviser at his local VA Hospital, a Fisher House Charleston Goodwill Ambassador, and the past Vice President for Veteran Affairs for his local Association of the US Army (AUSA) and Military Officers Association (MOAA) Chapters. He is currently the VFW Post 7378 Service Officer, the author of the award-winning and popular (over 250 five-star reviews) Blades of Thunder (Book One), and a contributing freelance writer with the Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164.
