Active Duty Survivor Benefits

Coverage of up to $400,000 for all service members pays a lump sum or monthly payments for active duty death and deaths which occur within 120 days of leaving the service.

Survivors are entitled to one year of either continued government housing or a lump sum payment for 1 year of BAH, whichever is currently being received.

The military will provide for the care and deposition of your remains, including burial in a national cemetery with appropriate military honors. If a family chooses to make their own private arrangements and utilize a private cemetery, a reimbursement of up to $7,700 is available.

Transportation reimbursement for immediate family for travel to and from the funeral is available or the government will provide suitable transportation.

An unmarried surviving spouse continues to be eligible for a dependent ID card with all the rights and privileges of an active duty dependent.

Families will be assigned a Casualty Assistance Calls Officer (CACO), who is responsible for counseling and assisting them with their efforts to understand and apply for all of their eligible survivor benefits.

Base Legal Service Offices continue to be available to surviving dependents.

Surviving spouses (who have not remarried) of service members who die on active duty or of a service-connected illness are eligible for VA Home Loans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Readjustment Grief Counseling (RCS) offers services for survivors.

Beneficiary Financial Counseling Services (BFCS) offered to beneficiaries of Service-members' Group Life Insurance and Veterans' Group Life Insurance policies.

Monthly Payments To Survivors

These monthly benefits are available both to those who die on active duty and to those whose death in retirement is service-connected:

$1091 Unmarried Spouse $250 For first two years $271 Per child  If No Eligible Spouse $462 One child $663 Two children $865 Three children +$165 Four+ children

Spouse will retain DIC benefits as long as they do not remarry prior to age 57 Children's DIC benefits apply to age 18; 23 if enrolled in post-secondary education Dependent parents may be eligible for DIC under certain condition Supplementary DIC Ages 18-23 $230 per month if unmarried and continuing education Disabled children over age 18 $462 per month