Survivor Benefit Information & Resources

For eligible spouses, children and parents of servicemembers who have died or who have been completely disabled, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) provides extensive benefits and services.

Who is Eligible for Survivor Benefits?

Eligible parties may receive various levels of compensation and assistance, including:

• Financial assistance with funeral or memorial services
• VA home loans
• Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
• Parental Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
• Survivor’s pension
• Survivor and dependent assistance
• Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship

Each family will have access to an individual casualty assistance officer who can guide you through the process to ensure that you have access to all of the entitlements and benefits you deserve.

Eligibility for the various benefits depends on an individual case-by-case assessment of each survivor or dependent. Each application for benefits will be determined at your local VA regional office. Find out which regional office processes applications for your state on the VA’s website.  

A Survivor’s Guide to Benefits

The Department of Defense publishes the annual Survivor’s Guide to Benefits to address the issues surviving family members may face after losing a loved one. The guide provides information on how to utilize the full extent of the military family support that is available to them.

The guide addresses topics like meeting your casualty assistance officer, getting assistance for funeral or memorial services, finding financial assistance, and more. 

Download the full PDF version of A Survivor’s Guide to Benefits.

Dependent And Survivor Services

To apply for survivor’s benefits or services, dependents and survivors can use the eBenefits portal to file a claim. Once eligibility is determined, dependents and survivors can take advantage of VBA services tailored to address their needs. Services include:

• Educational or career assistance
• Financial counseling
• Preferential civil service treatment
• Birth defect financial assistance
• Fiduciary and trustee guidance and services

To learn more about the services available, visit I am a Dependent or Survivor on the VA’s website.