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When a veteran dies: who to notify

We are sorry for your loss. These are the first practical steps after a veteran's death, with the official source for each. Take them one at a time. A funeral director can handle some of them for you, and the ones that start with “If” may not apply to your family.

The checklist

  1. Step 1 of 11

    Order certified copies of the death certificate

    Many offices ask for a certified copy, including Social Security and other government agencies, banks and credit card companies, and life insurance and pension plans. A photocopy is enough for some smaller tasks, so ask each one what it needs.

    Order copies from the vital records office of the state where the death happened. That office sets how to order, how fast, and the cost of each copy.

    Source: USA.gov: how to get a certified copy of a death certificate (opens in new tab)

  2. Step 2 of 11

    Tell VA

    Report the death as soon as you can. VA then stops any payments the Veteran was getting, which helps survivors avoid debt from overpayments. Calling is the fastest way.

    Have what you can of the Veteran’s full name, Social Security number or VA claim number, date of birth, date of death, and branch of service. You do not need all of it to call.

    • Phone (select 5), Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET800-827-1000 (TTY: 711)
    • In personAt a VA regional office (opens in new tab)
    • By mail (slower to stop payments), with your relationship to the VeteranDepartment of Veterans Affairs, Claims Intake Center, PO Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444

    Source: VA.gov: report the death of a veteran (opens in new tab)

  3. Step 3 of 11

    Tell Social Security, which tells Medicare

    The funeral director should report the death to Social Security for you; give them the Social Security number. If they do not, report it yourself as soon as possible, by phone or in person. Social Security does not take death reports by email or online, and it notifies Medicare.

    Social Security does not pay for the month of death. If the person died in July, the payment that arrives in August (the payment for July) must be returned. If it came by direct deposit, ask the bank to return it and any payment that arrived later.

    Sources: USA.gov: report the death of a Social Security or Medicare beneficiary (opens in new tab), USA.gov: agencies to notify when someone dies (opens in new tab)

  4. Step 4 of 11If the Veteran was a military retiree

    Tell DFAS

    Military retired pay ends on the date of death, and reporting promptly helps avoid an overpayment. If a payment went out after the date of death, DFAS has the bank reclaim the entire payment, even from a joint account.

    DFAS pays the retiree’s final pro-rated retired pay, called arrears of pay, to the beneficiary named on the retiree’s account once it receives a valid claim. DFAS mails that beneficiary the claim form, SF 1174, which must be signed by two witnesses as well as the claimant.

    Have the retiree’s full name, Social Security number, and date of death. The online form also asks for the cause of death (natural, homicide, pending, or other) and marital status, and a spouse gives the date of marriage.

    If the retiree was enrolled in the Survivor Benefit Plan, DFAS sends the forms to claim it.

    Sources: DFAS: report a military retiree's death (opens in new tab), USA.gov: agencies to notify when someone dies (opens in new tab)

  5. Step 5 of 11If the Veteran had TRICARE pharmacy coverage

    Tell TRICARE’s pharmacy

    The one report TRICARE asks for after a sponsor dies is to Express Scripts, the TRICARE pharmacy. You do not have to report the death to DEERS: the Defense Manpower Data Center gets it from the services and Social Security and updates medical and dental coverage. If you would rather not wait for that, an ID card office can update DEERS with a copy of the death certificate.

    TRICARE keeps covering family members when a sponsor dies. A spouse can keep coverage until remarriage, but plan options and costs, and for some National Guard and Reserve families how long coverage lasts, depend on the sponsor’s military status at death.

    Sources: TRICARE: survivors (opens in new tab), TRICARE: contact phone numbers (opens in new tab)

  6. Step 6 of 11

    Banks, accounts, and other offices

    Notify the businesses the Veteran used, cancel payments, and close or transfer accounts. Report the death to banks, credit card companies, credit bureaus, and other financial organizations. Closing or transferring bank and credit card accounts takes a certified copy of the death certificate.

    USA.gov also lists the state motor vehicles office, the IRS (a final tax return), the State Department (to cancel the passport), the local election office, state social services, and OPM for a federal employee or retiree.

    Sources: USA.gov: agencies to notify when someone dies (opens in new tab), USA.gov: how to get a certified copy of a death certificate (opens in new tab)

  7. Step 7 of 11

    Find the DD214

    The discharge papers (the DD214 or another discharge document) are needed to schedule a VA national cemetery burial, and VA asks for a copy, if you have one, when you report a death in person or by mail. For a national cemetery burial, you do not have to request them yourself: the National Cemetery Scheduling Office will try to locate them.

    Otherwise, next of kin (a surviving spouse who has not remarried, a parent, a child, or a sibling) can request the Veteran’s records from the National Archives online, by mail, or by fax, with a copy of the death certificate (or another public record of the death) or a letter from a funeral home. A state or county Veterans agency can also help.

    Sources: VA.gov: how to request someone else's military records (opens in new tab), VA.gov: schedule a burial (opens in new tab), VA.gov: report the death of a veteran (opens in new tab)

  8. Step 8 of 11If you choose a VA national cemetery

    Plan a burial in a VA national cemetery

    You or the funeral director call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office. Have the discharge papers ready to fax or email first, along with the Veteran’s and next of kin’s details. If the Veteran had a pre-need decision letter, the call is all it takes to start.

    National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday. The scheduling office is closed on the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

    • National Cemetery Scheduling Office, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET800-535-1117 (TTY: 711)
    • Fax discharge papers866-900-6417
    • Or email them, with the person’s name in the subject lineNCA.Scheduling@va.gov

    Source: VA.gov: schedule a burial (opens in new tab)

  9. Step 9 of 11

    Ask for a burial flag

    VA provides a United States flag to drape a casket or accompany an urn for a Veteran or Reservist whose service meets the criteria on VA’s burial flag page. Fill out VA Form 27-2008 and take it to the funeral director, a VA regional office, or a U.S. post office (call the post office first to check it has flags).

    Source: VA.gov: burial flags (opens in new tab)

  10. Step 10 of 11

    Presidential Memorial Certificate

    At a burial in a national cemetery, VA presents a Presidential Memorial Certificate to the next of kin automatically. If the Veteran could have been buried in a national cemetery but was buried in a private cemetery, a family member or close friend can request one with VA Form 40-0247.

    Source: VA.gov: Presidential Memorial Certificates (opens in new tab)

  11. Step 11 of 11

    Get free help with the claims

    An accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representative, attorney, or claims agent can help you file a claim. A VSO representative’s help on VA claims is always free; attorneys and claims agents can charge fees.

    Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab)

Support for you

VA’s Vet Centers offer free bereavement counseling to the surviving spouse, child, or parent of a service member who died while serving, a Reservist or National Guard member who died on active duty, a Veteran who was getting Vet Center services when they died, or a Veteran or service member who died by suicide. Ask at your nearest Vet Center, or call:

  • Vet Center bereavement counseling, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week877-927-8387 (TTY: 711)

Source: VA.gov: bereavement counseling (opens in new tab)

Survivor benefits on BeneVetsDependency and Indemnity Compensation, the burial allowance, survivors pension, and CHAMPVA, gathered in the Grieving a loved one moment.

Every step last checked October 15, 2026.