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Q441: How long must I be married to a veteran to collect his death benefits? I have been married to a man who is suffering from Agent Orange and PTSD. He says he will die soon. I don't know what to do or where to file or who to get to help me.
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Use Form Below To Respond
A1: Federal Benefits Info from Veterans Administration: https://benefits.va.gov/BENEFITS/Benefits_Summary_Materials.asp
pdf Version of Booklet: https://benefits.va.gov/BENEFITS/benefits-summary/SummaryofVABenefitsFlyer.pdf
See the local County Veterans Service Officer (CVSO) as they assist with Veterans Benefits for Veterans, eligible spouses & family members. Find local CVSO at: https://www.nacvso.org/, & hover your mouse over FIND SERVICE OFFICERS at top of page, & when you see the dropdown menu, click on COUNTY DIRECTORY & then you will be able to select the state you live in and select it, and then the county you live in, and the CVSO name & contact information will be shown so you can contact them for assistance. (ED) 6/9/20
A2: Go on this web site https://www.veteransaidbenefit.org/va_help_surviving_spouse.htm (JP) 6/9/20
A3: You have a few choices one write to your congressman for assistance. You will probably get a response back from the VA within a month after that. Second contact a VSO such as DAV, American Legion and third try contacting the Veterans Affairs Office at the VA nearest you. You will need any documents showing how long you were married and a death certificate if he has passed away. You are entitled most likely with education benefits as well as ChampVA for medications that you take if any. All of it will take time but at least you will start getting answers. I was married 3 times and my last wife got many of the benefits some not even I get as a veteran. All of the above possibilities should help you get the information you need to get started and go online for forms that you may need to fill out or at least the VA should let you know what forms they need completed. Claims for benefits thru the VA takes a long time for each one of my claims took over 2 years and hopefully it does not take that long for you. Don't give up and stop trying for eventually you will get what you should. (JRM) 6/9/20
A4: The answer depends on which benefits he is eligible for. Call your County Veterans Service Officer, or a local American Legion, DAV, VFW, etc Post and ask for their Service Officer. (DJ) 6/9/20
A5: Sorry to hear your husband is not doing well. However, there is no time limit on being married to a veteran to collect his death benefits. If and when he passed, you'll need to provide the VA with the following docs: Marriage license, death certificate and any receipts you may have for burial expenses. Since he is a VV veteran suffering with AO & PTSD, you should make sure that the death certificate states the reason for his death was 'hopefully' due to any of his service-connected illness due to AO. Make sure you visit your local DAV Chapter and bring in all of docs he has received from the VA, especially his most recent award letter, which states the conditions he has been rated for, I am DAV Service Officer. You can email me any questions.
Also, go online to VA.gov and search for Burial & memorial Benefits so you can read up on all the benefits you might be entitled. Good luck and God Bless you both. (JL) 6/9/20
A6: As long as you and the veteran are legally married you are entitled to apply for any service connected death benefits. However please check with your husband to see if he is currently receiving any monthly disability compensation payments from the VA. Ask him if the VA ever did a disability rating decision. Agent Orange is not a disability. Agent Orange exposure causes certain disabilities and illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes mellitus, neuropathy, etc. Check your husband's VA correspondence for any disability rating decisions. If he has not filed a claim and he served in Vietnam he should do so as soon as possible. Consult a veterans service organization like the DAV or VFW in your area. Also go online to Ebenefits.va.gov to look up diseases and disabilities caused by Agent Orange exposure and see which one or more than one match your husband's medical condition. Also see if he was ever rated by VA for PTSD. Good luck. (KG) 6/2/20
