How to Find Deceased Veteran Benefits
When a veteran dies, their family may be entitled to benefits the veteran earned through service — monthly survivor compensation, a needs-based pension, burial honors, and more. The catch is that no one hands these to you; survivors have to know they exist and claim them. The official path is free through the VA. This guide explains the benefits a veteran’s survivors may be owed, how to obtain the records you will need, how to avoid the scams that target grieving families, and where a professional can help with the parts the VA does not handle.
The Short Version
A deceased veteran’s survivors may qualify for several VA benefits. The main ones are Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, a monthly tax-free payment when the death was connected to service; the Survivors Pension, a needs-based payment for low-income survivors of wartime veterans; accrued benefits the veteran was owed before death; and burial benefits, including a no-cost national-cemetery plot, a government headstone, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate. You apply for free at VA.gov, and an accredited Veterans Service Organization will help you at no charge. To file, you will need the veteran’s discharge papers and a death certificate. Be careful of anyone who charges a fee to “find” these benefits, because the application itself costs nothing.
Watch: Deceased Veteran Benefits
What survivors may be owed, and the free way to claim it.
Watch Overview
Benefits a Veteran’s Survivors May Be Owed
Several programs, each with its own rules.
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a monthly, tax-free payment to a surviving spouse, child, or parent when the veteran or service member died in the line of duty or from a service-connected condition; it is not based on income. The Survivors Pension is a needs-based monthly payment for low-income surviving spouses and unmarried children of veterans with qualifying wartime service whose death was not service-connected. Accrued benefits and a final month-of-death payment cover VA compensation or pension the veteran was due before passing. Burial benefits include burial in a VA national cemetery at no cost, a government headstone, marker, or medallion, a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate, and sometimes plot or burial allowances, plus military funeral honors. Survivors may also qualify for CHAMPVA health coverage and education assistance. One note: the Survivor Benefit Plan annuity is a Department of Defense program, not a VA benefit, and applies only if the retiree had enrolled.
Start at VA.gov — It’s Free
The official path, and the scam to avoid.
The authoritative source is the VA’s survivor-benefits pages. DIC, the Survivors Pension, and accrued benefits are claimed on one application form, and burial benefits use a separate form; both are available at VA.gov. Filing within a year of the veteran’s death can preserve retroactive payments. You can submit an “intent to file” first to lock in your effective date while you gather evidence, and an accredited Veterans Service Organization, attorney, or claims agent can help you, often at no cost. Be cautious: the VA itself warns that scammers target grieving survivors. No one needs to charge you to find or unlock these benefits — applying is free.
Finding the Veteran’s Records
Most claims start with the discharge papers.
Nearly every survivor benefit asks for the veteran’s DD-214 or other separation documents to prove service. If you do not have a copy, request the veteran’s service records from the National Personnel Records Center through the National Archives, which handles next-of-kin requests for deceased veterans — see the National Archives veterans’ records portal. You will generally also need a certified death certificate, and for pension claims, income and net-worth information. If you need to confirm or locate where a veteran is buried, the VA’s national gravesite locator searches interments in VA and many state and tribal cemeteries.
Confirming Service, Death, and Family
Sometimes the first question is who and whether.
Not every family starts with the facts in hand. You may need to confirm that a relative actually served before you can pursue records, or confirm a death before any claim can move — our guides on finding out if a parent died and if an estranged relative died cover that. In other cases the benefit exists but the eligible survivor has to be found: an accrued-benefit or a survivor payment can go unclaimed simply because the spouse, child, or parent entitled to it has not been located. And because accrued benefits the veteran was owed become part of what passes to the family, this often overlaps with settling an estate and identifying heirs.
When a Professional Helps
We do not file VA claims — here is what we do.
To be clear, the VA application is free and a Veterans Service Organization is the right partner for the claim itself; we are not a VA claims agent. Where we help is the locating and records side: confirming a veteran’s service and death, helping obtain the records a claim depends on, locating the surviving spouse, child, or parent who is entitled to a benefit but has not been found, and tracing accrued benefits and other assets into the estate. It is the same work behind our people search and skip-tracing services, and when a missing beneficiary or heir needs to be located, a verified locate typically comes back within 24 hours.
Related Guides
More from our Estate & Inheritance Guides.
Our Commitment
We will always point survivors to the free VA path and accredited service organizations for the claim itself — no charging for what the government provides at no cost. What we do is the locating and records work around it: confirming service and death, finding the records, and locating the people entitled to a benefit. For families and estates, since 2004.
Frequently Asked Questions
What benefits can a deceased veteran’s family receive?
Depending on eligibility: Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, the Survivors Pension, accrued and final-month payments, burial benefits including a national-cemetery plot and headstone, and sometimes CHAMPVA health coverage and education assistance.
Is it free to apply for VA survivor benefits?
Yes. You apply at VA.gov for free, and an accredited Veterans Service Organization will help at no charge. Be wary of anyone charging a fee to find or unlock the benefits.
What documents do I need to claim survivor benefits?
Generally the veteran’s DD-214 or separation papers and a certified death certificate, plus marriage or birth certificates to show relationship, and income and net-worth information for the needs-based Survivors Pension.
How do I get the veteran’s DD-214 if I don’t have it?
Request the service records from the National Personnel Records Center through the National Archives, which handles next-of-kin requests for deceased veterans.
Is there a deadline to file?
Filing within one year of the veteran’s death can preserve retroactive payments. Later applications may still be approved but generally only from the date of claim. Submitting an intent to file can lock in your effective date.
Can you help me claim VA benefits?
We do not file VA claims; that is best handled free through the VA and an accredited service organization. We help with the locating and records side, confirming service and death, obtaining records, locating eligible survivors, and tracing accrued benefits into the estate.
Need Records, or to Locate a Survivor?
Apply for the benefits free at VA.gov. When you need to confirm a veteran’s service and death, obtain records, or locate the survivor or heir entitled to a benefit, we can help — a verified locate typically comes back within 24 hours. Contact us to get started.
Start Your Request →
