Gold Star & Surviving Family Members

Your service member has died, but that doesn't mean you have lost your ties to your military community. As a family member, you qualify for beneficial services that can help you cope, steer you through the legal and financial maze of probate, and support you in rebuilding your life and finding your new normal. Your military network provides immediate and long-term assistance with everything from understanding your benefits and connecting with a grief counselor to planning your financial future. You're not alone.

Benefits Resources

Submit questions by completing the Survivor Inquiry Form.

UNDERSTANDING THE BASICS

Understanding Grief – The Essentials

Survivor Finances and Legal – Essentials

The Final Move – Essentials

Support After Loss – The Essentials

LATEST CONTENT

Honoring Gold Star Families

November 6, 2020 @ 12:09 AM 2 MIN READ 24815 Views

Gold star families – spouses, children, parents, siblings or others whose loved one died in service to our nation – are a vital part of the nation’s military community and history.

Finding Support After the Death of a Loved One

November 5, 2020 @ 5:34 PM 4 MIN READ 37188 Views

After the death of a loved one, you may experience a wide range of emotions. That is natural. Finding your new normal after the death of a loved one is not the same for everyone.

Understanding the Role of the Casualty Assistance Officer

November 5, 2020 @ 5:15 PM 3 MIN READ 40750 Views

In its effort to ensure that military families have support in their time of need when a service member is declared deceased, whereabouts unknown or missing, the Department of Defense’s Casualty Assistance Program assigns a dedicated casualty assistance officer to advise and assist the primary next of kin.

Man helping another man with filing paperwork

Tax Extensions for Survivors

November 5, 2020 @ 5:10 PM 5 MIN READ 28175 Views

If you’re a survivor of a service member who has died on active duty, you may have the option of taking extra time to file your tax return.

Certification Process Eases for Student Recipients of Survivor Benefit Plan

November 5, 2020 @ 4:58 PM 4 MIN READ 3900 Views

The certification process has gotten easier for students age 18 and older covered as a child annuitant under the military Survivor Benefit Plan. SBP students now have more time to file their certifications each semester and can file school certification forms online.