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Gold Star Annuity for Spouses and Children — Remarriage Does Not End It
The state annuity for Gold Star families reaches spouses and children, not only parents. Two provisions make it unusual: a spouse includes a domestic partner as state law defines that term, and remarriage by a Gold Star spouse does not discontinue eligibility. It is paid in two instalments a year, in March and September, and rises annually with the federal cost of living adjustment within a 1% to 4% band.
Verified August 23, 2026
What this benefit is
The state annuity for Gold Star families reaches spouses and children, not only parents. Two provisions make it unusual: a spouse includes a domestic partner as state law defines that term, and remarriage by a Gold Star spouse does not discontinue eligibility. It is paid in two instalments a year, in March and September, and rises annually with the federal cost of living adjustment within a 1% to 4% band.
What it's worth: An annuity paid in two instalments a year, in March and September, rising each year with the federal cost of living adjustment
- The department states the programme authorises an annuity payment from the state, managed by the department, for all eligible Gold Star parents, spouses and children.
- A spouse for annuity purposes includes domestic partners of the deceased servicemember, using the definition of that term in state law.
- The department states that remarriage by a Gold Star spouse does not discontinue the Gold Star spouse’s eligibility for the annuity.
- A child qualifies if under 18, or aged 18 to 23 and attending school, or disabled before age 18 and incapable of self-support; stepchildren and adopted children qualify.
- A parent for annuity purposes includes stepparents and parents by adoption.
- The department states that state residency and domicile is required for eligibility.
- Acceptable proof of residency named by the department includes property tax bills, utility bills, voter registration, pay stubs and a state driver licence.
- The department states the annuity is disbursed in semi-annual instalments, paid in March and September.
- The department states the total annual payment increases each year by the percentage authorised in the federal cost of living adjustment, with an annual increase of no less than 1% and no more than 4%.
- The department states the death does not have to take place in a combat theatre, and that the death cannot be caused by the servicemember’s wilful misconduct.
- The application must include a Department of Defense Form 1300 report of casualty, a copy of the telegram from the federal defence department advising the family of the death, or other evidence acceptable to the commissioner verifying the in-service death.
- The department publishes a Gold Star family annuity application form and an advisory line on 1-888-838-7697.
Who is entitled to it
- You are a surviving spouse, domestic partner or child.
- You are a New York resident.
- Your home is in New York.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
How to claim it
- 1If you are a Gold Star spouse who has remarried, apply anyway. The department states in terms that remarriage does not discontinue eligibility — this is the single most common reason an eligible spouse never applies.
- 2If you were a domestic partner rather than a married spouse, apply as a spouse. The programme uses the state law definition of domestic partner and treats you within the spouse class.
- 3Check the child ages carefully: under 18, or 18 to 23 while attending school, or disabled before 18 and incapable of self-support. Stepchildren and adopted children are included.
- 4Do not rule the death out because it was not in combat. The department states the death need not have taken place in a combat theatre; the exclusion is a death caused by the servicemember’s own wilful misconduct.
- 5Assemble the casualty evidence first. A DD Form 1300 report of casualty is the primary document, and the notification telegram or other evidence acceptable to the commissioner is the alternative.
- 6Gather residency proof in the department’s own terms — a property tax bill, a utility bill, voter registration, a pay stub or a state driver licence. Residency AND domicile are required, so a family that has moved away should expect questions.
- 7Plan cash flow around March and September. This is a semi-annual payment, not a monthly one, and families budgeting monthly are routinely caught out by the gap.
- 8Expect it to grow. The annual total rises by the federal cost of living adjustment each year, floored at 1% and capped at 4%, so the figure you are quoted at application is not the figure you will be receiving in a decade.
- 9Ring 1-888-838-7697 and ask for a benefits adviser rather than posting the form cold. County veterans service agencies also file these and are often faster.
- Form
- Application for Gold Star Family Annuity
- File with
- The state department of veterans’ services, or your county veterans service agency
- Documents you will need
- dd1300 ny
- Re-certify annually
- Respond to the renewal notice or payments stop.
CorrectionAcross survivor benefits generally, remarriage is the condition that closes the door. Here the department states the opposite for the Gold Star spouse. A widow or widower who remarried years ago and assumed the annuity ended should re-read that sentence and apply.
Worth knowingThe escalator is written as a band, not a promise to track inflation: the annual increase is no less than 1% and no more than 4%, whatever the federal adjustment does. In a high-inflation year the annuity falls behind by design; in a flat year it still rises.
Known gapThe programme page read this session publishes the escalator but not the current base amount, and the application form is a scanned document that could not be extracted. Ask the department for the figure applying to your relationship class before relying on any number quoted elsewhere.
Worth knowingA separate record in this corpus covers the parent side of the same programme. This one is written for spouses, domestic partners and children, whose conditions — the remarriage rule, the domestic partner definition, the child age bands — are different and are the ones least often published.
Sources
- authority · published policyDepartment of Veterans’ Services — Gold Star Families Annuity Program
- operating · formDepartment of Veterans’ Services — application for Gold Star family annuity
- operating · published policyDepartment of Veterans’ Services — veterans and family
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