27 Feb Reporting a Veteran’s Death
The first step to receiving assistance and benefits for a veteran’s death is to report it to the appropriate agencies.
Social Security can be notified by calling 1-800-772-1213.
The Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) can be notified by calling 1-800-538-9552.
You can also file DFAS Form 9221 online using DFAS’s Fast Form option at https://www.dfas.mil/retiredmilitary/forms.html.
- If the veteran is also a current or retired federal civilian employee, the Office of Personnel Management should be notified by calling 1-888-767-6738.
The VA should be notified depending on the benefits the veteran was receiving or the programs the veteran was enrolled in.
- If the veteran was receiving disability compensation or a pension, call the Veterans Benefits Administration at 1-800-827-1000.
- If the veteran was enrolled in a VA-sponsored life insurance policy, call the VA at 1-800-669-8477.
If the veteran was also a retiree enrolled in the Servicemember’s Group Life Insurance plan, call the VA at 1-800-419-1473.
Sylvia Rosado
Posted at 20:01h, 04 OctoberAfter following the suggestions given by a couple of people here I called 1,800,827-1000 to report the death of my brother. After practically no wait time at all, I was greeted by a very nice young man. I am so sorry that I did not catch his name as he was so polite and appreciative of my brother’s service. I was able to provide all the information he needed and was reassured that I didn’t need to contact anyone else in the VA system.
Rebecca Ramsey
Posted at 23:20h, 09 AprilDonna Jennings, Thank you so much for the information! It saved us so much grieve and it worked just like you said it would. Rebecca Ramsey
Jackson Hewlitt
Posted at 19:31h, 20 JanuaryWhat’s sad is you greedy asshats believing you are entitled to anything. Entitled sycophants who try to rob the va. Bet you titty babies also game the other systems.
Your deceased veteran would be ashamed.
Get a flipping job.
finn noah
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Bobbi Chandler
Posted at 15:05h, 29 SeptemberI see a lot of families asking about benefits for themselves after their parent dies and I am almost certain that they cannot get monetary benefits from their passing. I’ve seen too many times unfortunately where kids want money only to find out that they weren’t even on speaking terms with the veteran and in most of those cases, the vet who died never meant for them to get any money. I can understand if it’s the spouse or young children but grown kids, then no. No one should be using a disabled parent for money when they’re alive or dead and should be taking care of themselves. I’m a disabled veteran myself and I have a grown daughter and I have life insurance that goes only to her when I die. If the veteran wanted someone to be taken care of then they should have done the same
JENNIFER M
Posted at 22:48h, 15 FebruaryI AM SAD THAT US CHILDREN EVEN AS ADULTS GET NO BENEFITS, LIKE INSURANCE ,GET TO GO ON BASE, NOTHING. GUESS WHAT I LIVED LISTENING TO MY FATHER WHO IS DECEASED SCREAM AND NOT WATCH CERTAIN MOVIES. WE AS THEIR CHILDREN DESERVE RIGHTS TOO. NOW MY SWEET MOMMA HAS SUDDENLY PASSED AWAY AND THEIR BENEFITS ARE JUST IN THE SYSTEM..
JEN
Posted at 22:47h, 15 FebruaryI AM SAD THAT US CHILDREN EVEN AS ADULTS GET NO BENEFITS, LIKE INSURANCE ,GET TO GO ON BASE, NOTHING. GUESS WHAT I LIVED LISTENING TO MY FATHER WHO IS DECEASED SCREAM AND NOT WATCH CERTAIN MOVIES. WE AS THEIR CHILDREN DESERVE RIGHTS TOO. NOW MY SWEET MOMMA HAS SUDDENLY PASSED AWAY AND THEIR BENEFITS ARE JUST IN THE SYSTEM..
Teeninga Palmen
Posted at 09:11h, 27 JanuaryI really had a good time reading all of this article, its really good. I would have a couple suggestions, but Im not causing a debate Anyway, keep up the awesome work, and until next time! Regards, TeeningaPalmen
Gabe
Posted at 14:12h, 22 JanuaryHi,
My grandfather was a veteran and he passed away in 1996 and neither my father or I were notified of his death at the time and I don’t if any of his other children were either or how to contact them. Is there a way to find out if his death was reported to the VA? I would like to see if it is possible to get his service recognized in some way.
Thanks.
Jeremy Herb
Posted at 03:58h, 28 DecemberSo my father has passed away this year and was retired had 100% disability but was only received 70% disability since 2002 he was about to receive back pay for the disability but now the army says his case is closed and his estate or kids will not receive any of it to help. I did the math and it’s $84,450, that my father was entitled to what can we do and where should we go look to make sure my father’s estate receives the funds it should have been his
maria jana
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Tilly Tully
Posted at 09:36h, 03 DecemberTo all whom it may concern my husband died Nov 12, 2019.
He came to me and gave his all.
He truly was a Hero,
Take good care of each other. Never feel alone.
Don’t take a second for granted.
I miss his million dollar smile.
He was a WWII Veteran
I can still see him in my mind when he first came to me. I can still remember his kindness. He truly was God sent. He Loved my children as his own.
We known each other for 26 yrs and married for 91/2 yrs.
I miss him truly. His first wife of 46 yrs Loved him and Died . I met Jack 2 weeks after his wife death and I cared for him 26 yrs it truly was a honor.
Just knowing such a man makes me proud that good man do exist.
I was fortunate. Love you Jack
All those my husband did not received any benefit until late in his yrs no one had time to care for him or help a veteran . WWII and to all Veterans take care of each other. I just Thank God Jack was not alone. I did see his need and got him the help he needed and God open the door to make sure he was cared for. Wives and husbands and family take care .
You truly are missed. You are upstairs now Love you so.
Hayam
Posted at 19:36h, 02 DecemberHello. My son was a disabled veteran. Receiving pension. I am his mother I am Arab. He was living his last years here overseas as I was looking after him.. I Don t speak English well. I read that I can benefit from his pension as my income is very low. He died 2 years ago. How can I apply for his pension..
Jason
Posted at 14:27h, 14 NovemberNo. Children of veterans cannot utilize the VA Home Loan benefit. If he / she’s spouse is still living, they may utilize that benefit.
marie L Elam
Posted at 18:27h, 22 Octoberif a veteran is not receiving benefits do we still have to report his death to VA ?????
Lillian Martinez
Posted at 11:25h, 28 SeptemberMy grandfather served during WWII. He died in Guatelmala and was buried there while in retirement. My mother was not aware of the flag benefit as she was also living there at the time. I would like to know if I can still receive his flag as this is something their
great- grandchildren would like to have.
Thank you!
Alabama Sailor
Posted at 13:15h, 22 AugustIt is sad that they take money back from the veterans family when most can use it. When a family member veteran dies the vultures fly in and take back their last check even if the died on the last day of the month. That’s why they want you to contact all those organizations. This needs to change.
Alyson McCarthy
Posted at 22:44h, 08 JulyI need to report my father’s death. He was a veteran and was receiving a monthly deposit from the VA that now needs to stop.
How can I accomplish this?
Larry Mahlon Collins
Posted at 06:34h, 02 AprilYou have one of the worst administration systems I have ever used. Someone in the VA, an employee, listed me as deceased by mistake. I have spent hours on the phone to you and other government agencies trying to fix your mistakes. Now, because of your screw up, my monthly disability payment was not sent. In addition, I am receiving threatening letters and phone calls from other agencies stating that I have to prove to them that I am in fact alive. I have tried sending you text messages, but because you have listed me as deceased your system will not accept or allow me to submit anything to you. I even had my spouse try and contact you via your messaging center, but she just keeps getting error code after error code. This is your screw up and mistake, please fix it and stop asking me to prove that I am alive and not dead. VA took this screw up even one step further, they sent a condolence letter to my spouse and informed her that she would be getting two DIC checks from VA because of my death. Of course, it was I that had to make sure that the two checks were returned back to the VA unopened. I have done my part, now how about you guys getting your act together and get my status correct. You messed this all up, you fix it and please send me the money that am I due for my 100% disability rating. I depend on those monthly deposits just like you do each month!
Star
Posted at 00:15h, 09 AprilHi Larry,
My father is going through the same thing. His status changed to deceased mid-January and then informed VA that it was not correct February 13th of this year. He was informed that it would take about a month to fix the issue. He contacted them this morning and found out that the claim says there is still no action. How long did you have to deal with this?
Donna Jennings
Posted at 17:49h, 15 MarchThe below is copied and correct. My mother was receiving benefits from my Dad, and when she passed, we knew we had to contact the VA to stop the payments. The websites are very confusing and not at all detailed as to the ‘how’. I followed his (below) instructions exactly, and when prompted to ‘speak’ what I needed, said “report a death”, and I was connected with a live operator. Took a bit of time, but she handled everything over the phone – no forms to fill out and send, nothing else needed. Considering all the bad press the VA gets, this was over and above. Hope this helps anyone else needing this information.
Charles Glennon 7 months ago
This is for Maryanne Pfister: I was in the same position calling to report the death of my mother (my veteran father died 11 years ago). Go back and call 1-800-827-1000 and don’t hang up when it seems like the recording is finished. You will hear messages regarding suicide, account balance, account balance in Spanish, etc. There will be pauses between messages – just hang in there. Eventually it will ask if you wish to report a death. It will then ask if you are reporting the death of a veteran – I said yes. Within one ring, I was connected to a very kind representative and she handled my request with ease. Before you call, have your father’s SSI number ready. It took no more than 5 minutes. Since mom died on Aug 26, the rep said not to close out her checking account because it is too late to stop the Sept deposit. The VA will automatically retract the deposit later in the month. I will try to report back when everything is completed
Merlyn
Posted at 05:38h, 13 MarchI’m a common-law wife of us army veterans his disability pensioner. Now he died last feburary 28 2019 .all his documents he’s a single .now I ask who is the qualifying claimants his parents both passed.
Ganice Welch
Posted at 16:50h, 03 MarchMy father recently passed by what the family delieves is a wrongful death. We would like to get this reported immediately but do not know where to begin. Please contact me.
Heidi anntoinette
Posted at 18:32h, 18 SeptemberDid you ever receive any info on this matter? Please text 9034244438 or email heidianntoinette@gmail.com. ty
Glenn
Posted at 19:21h, 01 MarchMy father was killed in WWII, and my mother was receiving VA benefits. She died in December, but still received payments. I had made a phone call in January and another in early February asking the VA to stop payments to her bank account. I received assurances that this would be done and that the payments that went into her bank account after her death would be withdrawn. Yet this hasn’t been done. Today I received another payment (the third!) in the account, and nothing has been withdrawn. So for a third time I requested that they stop sending payments and to please withdraw the payments that they sent in error. I want this to be taken care of because I want to close out the account. If this is not taken care of, I would like to send a check to the VA to return the postmortem payments, and close out the bank account. Yet the woman to whom I talked with today at the VA, could not find an address for me to send such payments. What do I do if this problem continues???!!!
Donna Lee Fox
Posted at 01:05h, 06 FebruaryCan a VA home loan be assumed by the children of the deceased Veteran?
Misty
Posted at 14:56h, 03 FebruaryMy father in law passed yesterday and he served in the Korean War will he get his funeral paid for
Jennifer McCloud
Posted at 19:29h, 28 JanuaryHello,
My uncle passed away and he was a Navy veteran. He left everything to me in his will but I am not sure how to go about making arrangements through the VA. Does anyone have any information?
Lynda Hower
Posted at 15:01h, 15 JanuaryI’m really stumped. I can’t talk about this with my friend. That he is in bad shape and I don’t know what to do if he does die in my home. He is my roommate. What is the first step first step I should take? He is a veteran from the Vietnam era.
Diane A
Posted at 21:35h, 02 NovemberMy father gets retirement and VA disability. He passed away and a week later he received his monthly payment. I used it to pay for his funeral. How do I or do I have to pay it back.
GH blyth
Posted at 12:00h, 12 OctoberI need to report a death.Can I only report with a ssi number?The reason being the deceased has no living relations and I do not know it?Please advise.
Charles Glennon
Posted at 12:39h, 12 SeptemberThis is a follow up to my post from Aug 29. Both the SSI an VA deposits from Sep 1 were withdrawn on Sep 11. All done. Again, just stay on the line and listen to all the menu options.
Charles Glennon
Posted at 20:16h, 29 AugustThis is for Maryanne Pfister: I was in the same position calling to report the death of my mother (my veteran father died 11 years ago). Go back and call 1-800-827-1000 and don’t hang up when it seems like the recording is finished. You will hear messages regarding suicide, account balance, account balance in Spanish, etc. There will be pauses between messages – just hang in there. Eventually it will ask if you wish to report a death. It will then ask if you are reporting the death of a veteran – I said yes. Within one ring, I was connected to a very kind representative and she handled my request with ease. Before you call, have your father’s SSI number ready. It took no more than 5 minutes. Since mom died on Aug 26, the rep said not to close out her checking account because it is too late to stop the Sept deposit. The VA will automatically retract the deposit later in the month. I will try to report back when everything is completed.
Svetlana ZipunoVA Swennes
Posted at 07:12h, 20 AugustGOOD AFTERNOON ,MY EX HUSBAND PASSED AWAY ON 13 TH APRIL OF 2018 ,HE RECEIVED VA BENEFITS ABOUT 50 YEARS.MY 18 YEARS OLD SON IS GOING TO THE UNIVERSITY AND NEED A FINANCIAL HELP TO PAY HIS STUDY.WHERE WE CAN FIND AN INFORMATION ABOUT IT? WE ARE LIVING IN HOLLAND SO MY EX HUSBAND ALSO LIVED IN EUROPE FOR THE PAST 50 YEARS.HE AND MY SON HAVE AMERICAN NATIONALITY.
Phil Mason
Posted at 18:48h, 04 JuneI am a retired Air Force Veteran with 24 years of service. I receive a retirement check from the military along with a disability check. Can you provide a checklist for my wife to follow upon my death? Thank you
Toni Bruce Smith
Posted at 21:14h, 28 MayMy father was a retired Marine and passed away 6/7/2015. We are still receiving mailings from the VA. Who do I contact so they can update records?
Toni
Maryanne Pfister
Posted at 17:18h, 21 MayI have been trying to report the death of my mother who is receiving benifits as a dependent of a deceased disabled veteran. I called the (800) 827-1000 phone number but it only gives a recording to go to a website. The website says to call that number. So neither the phone number or website offer a way to report a death. The Checklist website is just that — a checklist with no way to provide information about a death. You had suggested to someone else trying to report a death to call the local VA office. I tried that too — the only number I could get was the (800) 827-1000 which is not useful. I called DFAS and was told to call the same number — IT DOESN’T ALLOW ME TO REPORT A DEATH. I’m trying to have the benifits that are automatically deposited in my mother’s bank account stopped. How can I do that?
Margaret Hayworth
Posted at 20:41h, 05 SeptemberMy father is a deceased Air Force veteran. He had set up a spousal’s annuity benefit for my mom that she would start receiving on his death. I went to our local VA office and got no where. I made an appointment with the Casualty Assistance Officer at our nearest Air Force base and got it all taken care of in about an hour. It’s worth the trip.
irene madlos
Posted at 15:56h, 02 Maymy father is receiving a disability pension in US$ and he just died last April 20,2018. can we claim for death?he is 88.
Debra
Posted at 17:26h, 31 MarchI am a nurse. We recently lost a patient with no family. He was a retired Marine Sergeant. I was hoping to find who to contact to see if he can receive military honors and if possible be buried in the public Veterians cemetary here in Oklahoma. Thank you for your help.
Matt Terry
Posted at 18:20h, 23 AprilDebra,
You will need to contact your nearest Veterans Affairs office.
-Matt
Marie A Russo
Posted at 15:42h, 06 MarchMy former husband died March 4, 2018. I would like to notify you about this to stop future deposits into his account. I am executor and beneficiary of his will.
Matt Terry
Posted at 19:11h, 23 AprilMarie,
Contact the Veterans Affairs office nearest you for the answers you seek.
-Matt
Jose T. Mercado
Posted at 17:16h, 24 MayMay God Bless you and your Family, in every possible way to help you with your terrible loss.
Thank you and your departed husband for his service and your support which permitted him to
serve Our Country.
Kay
Posted at 13:47h, 30 MarchPlease note the phone number for DFAS is incorrect. It is 1-888-332-7411.
Rosanne O'Brien
Posted at 04:52h, 30 MarchI have tried calling a couple of times after 20-30 minute wait time I was hung up on twice. My husband Michael Albert O’Brien age 69 passed away on March 19th. He was receiving disability benefits of about $133.00. I have already notified the bank about this. They are responsible for returning it. I wanted also to find out if there are any benefits I have coming to me.
Mrs.Rosanne O’Brien
Cell# 503-XXX-XXXX
VA.org Editor
Posted at 13:44h, 30 MarchYou can start here: https://www.va.gov/SURVIVORS/Contact_Us.asp and also use this Death Notification Checklist: https://www.oprm.va.gov/docs/DeathNotificationChecklist.pdf