The Veterans Administration—United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)—assists the spouses of military service men and women who died while serving or as a veteran after active service with a wide variety of services and benefits. Whether you need to contact the VA because your spouse was receiving a VA benefit or you need to apply for a survivor's benefit(s), notifying the VA of your spouse’s death isn’t difficult and only requires that you gather together certain information and make a phone call.
Step 1
Gather information about your spouse (full name, date of birth, Social Security Number and branch of military) and your spouse’s death including a written proof of death. Proof of a death within the U.S. can include a signed official copy of a death certificate, coroner's report or clinical summary/report. If the death occurred outside of the U.S., the VA should accept a signed U.S. Consular report that has a U.S. Consul seal or a copy of the public record if authenticated by a State Department agency or the U.S. Consul.
Step 2
Call the Department of Veterans Affairs' Telephone Assistance Service at (800) 827-1000.
Step 3
Follow the phone prompts to reach a Veterans Service representative to notify the VA of your spouse's death.
Tips
- To review information about burial and survivor benefits, click the "Compensation & Pension Service, Survivors Home" link in the Resources section to go the main VA webpage designed to assist survivors of military spouses who have died in service or after active service. The webpage provides links to specific benefit information pages as well as downloadable/printable benefit application forms.
- Ask your funeral home for assistance in this process.
Resources
Tips
- To review information about burial and survivor benefits, click the "Compensation & Pension Service, Survivors Home" link in the Resources section to go the main VA webpage designed to assist survivors of military spouses who have died in service or after active service. The webpage provides links to specific benefit information pages as well as downloadable/printable benefit application forms.
- Ask your funeral home for assistance in this process.
Writer Bio
Based in Southern Pennsylvania, Irene A. Blake has been writing on a wide range of topics for over a decade. Her work has appeared in projects by The National Network for Artist Placement, the-phone-book Limited and GateHouse Media. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Shippensburg University.