The Defense Department Casualty Assistance program ensures that military families have support in their time of need, including understanding all benefits and other forms of assistance.
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.
A new form gives survivors a place to submit their questions and concerns if they aren’t sure where to go for information regarding the benefits and support available to them.
This article gives survivors information about how to access needed resources from the Defense Department and ways to offer feedback on their experiences with the Casualty Assistance program.
The National Defense Authorization Act 2014, Section 633, requires each secretary of a military department to designate a specific member to assist spouses and other dependents of service members, including Reserve Components, who die on active duty.
Your casualty assistance officer, or CAO, or mortuary officer is there to assist you with making funeral and burial arrangements in honor of your loved one’s service and sacrifice.
Survivors can access their interactive Online Survivor Benefits Report through an updated process using a linked email address.
The Defense Department established eligibility requirements for requesting and validating a service member for inclusion on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance.
The Military Funeral Honors program includes several key elements that your casualty assistance officer or Military Funeral Honors coordinator can guide you through. In addition, here are some frequently asked questions and answers to navigating the traditional process.
Survivors can access their online survivor benefits report through an updated process using a linked email address.
Resources are available for those whose loved one died by suicide. This article provides important steps to take, as well as resources for support and connection with others who have been down this difficult path.
Grief is a natural response when a loved one dies. How you grieve depends on your personality, your life experiences, the nature of your loss and your coping style.
The Department of Defense’s Military In Lasting Tribute memorial honors and remembers service members who died while serving honorably on active duty from 1985 to the present. It is the only DOD memorial to include peacetime deaths.
From the folding of the flag to the sounding of Taps, here is a guide to what you can expect during military funeral honors.
Estate planning ensures that you have your affairs in order for your loved ones in the event of your death and makes sure they are cared for according to your wishes.
The military ensures that service members who die on active duty receive recognition and proper burial services, and that their survivors are provided support.
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.
Military families face no greater challenge than dealing with the loss of a loved one who died while serving their country.