VFSO: Surviving Spouse Benefits

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Veteran & Family Services Office

Are you married to a veteran? If the veteran passes away before you, then your financial situation is going to change. This will definitely affect your household income immediately.  You may be eligible for a surviving spouse monthly payment from the Veterans Affairs (VA). There are some conditions you should be aware of before this situation possibly happens.

First, make sure that you have a copy of the veteran’s discharge papers (DD214). Our office can retain a copy to make things easier or in case it gets lost. It will cause a delay in filing the claim and military honors at burial, if you have to order it first.

Secondly, you should have a copy of your marriage license to submit with your claim. This must be submitted with your claim if the veteran has not previously put one on file with the VA.

Finally, the death certificate is VERY important. Know what your spouse’s service connected disabilities are with the VA. One of their service connected disabilities needs to be listed on the death certificate. It does not have to be the primary cause of death. It can be listed on the death certificate as a long term health factor. If your spouse is not receiving a monthly check from the VA, it will be harder for you to receive a monthly benefit or you may not be eligible for one. You must still have specific health conditions listed on the death certificate. Please expect processing for this type of claim to take about 10 months. So, the sooner you start, the sooner you can get a decision of approval or denial from the VA. 

If you have questions about being eligible for a monthly benefit, the time to find answers is now. Don’t wait until it happens. You can receive many solutions in advance before it becomes a problem. There is also a surviving spouse plan that is dependent upon the spouse’s income and expenses after the veteran passes. It is possible to not be eligible for either surviving spouse benefit. The Veteran & Family Services Office (VFSO) can answer your questions.

It doesn’t matter how long it has been since the veteran passed. If you were denied more than 3 years ago, you may be eligible now because the qualifications have changed. Sometimes, the veteran never files for service connection to receive a check every month, that’s alright. You may still be eligible. Please give us a call and we will review your case.

VFSO does all the forms associated with filing these types of claims. For more information contact the VFSO: (520) 562-9704

Peer Support Specialist Wesley Rhodes (520) 610-4384

Peer Support Specialist Darrell Whitman (520) 610-2037

Veteran Service Officer Kim Skelton (520) 610-7644