GI Benefits for Widows
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Memorial Day
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The Department of Defense is committed to caring for the loved ones of servicemembers who lost their lives while performing their military duties. A casualty assistance officer is assigned to provide guidance and support to ensure that survivors receive monetary, quality-of-life and community support benefits they will need to sustain them.
Department of Defense - Monetary Benefits
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Monetary support is an integral part of the support that a surviving spouse will need. Within 72 hours of notification, the Department of Defense releases a lump sum death gratuity payment. As of October 2009, the death gratuity amount is $100,000.
A surviving spouse may be entitled to Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity payments. The payments are 55 percent of what a servicemember would have received if he had been designated as a 100-percent disabled retiree. The casualty assistance officer will work with the spouse to claim SBP annuity payments and any outstanding pay and allowances that the servicemember was entitled to received.
Department of Veterans Affairs - Monetary Benefits
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Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payments are paid to the surviving spouse of service members who died during a qualified service-related event. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) determines eligibility and administers the payments. The amount is adjusted each year to keep pace with the cost of living. The 2009 DIC payment to spouses is $1,154 per month. Additional amounts are paid for the care and support of dependent children.
Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) is a policy with a $400,000 maximum. If the service member elected coverage, the casualty assistance officer will assist the spouse with completing the necessary claim forms. The spouse may also be eligible for a Traumatic Injury Protection Under Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (TSGLI) disbursement. The deceased servicemember's unused educational assistance contributions will also be refunded.
Quality of Life Benefits
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Death brings an abrupt end to the educational, career and financial dreams that a military couple may have envisioned. The VA attempts to minimize the impact by transferring benefits to the surviving spouse. This includes eligibility for a VA home loan, educational benefits and health benefits.
If the deceased had purchased Family Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (FSGLI) coverage for his spouse, the policy can be converted to the spouse and continued as a commercial policy. SGLI, FSGLI and TSGLI beneficiaries are eligible to receive free financial counseling for up to two years.
Community Support
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As of May 14, 2009, dependents are allowed to continue their elementary and secondary education with the Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools system. Other community support continuations include exchange and commissary privileges and government housing.
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