End-of-Life Benefits
Plan ahead using end-of-life benefits provided by VA.
Find out about your survivor benefits
Why this matters to you
You've earned your benefits and that includes benefits for your survivors. Ensure your loved ones receive these benefits after you pass away. End-of-life planning provides surviving family members with peace of mind following their Veteran's death.
This page is for
- All Veterans
- Family members and caregivers
What you can do
What can Veterans expect with End-of-Life Planning
Ensuring you and your loved ones are informed about your benefits is important when it comes to life insurance, care preferences, survivor benefits, memorial and burial benefits. We have resources available to help you plan ahead and ease the burden on loved ones during difficult times.
We offer a wide range of programs and services to assist in planning your legacy. Find out how you can plan ahead today by applying for life insurance and educating family members on benefits for survivors.
Find out about Advance Care Planning, in which you can clarify your preferences for future health care based on personal values and beliefs. As part of planning, you can also list an individual to make decisions on your behalf, if you’re unable to do so.
Learn more about VA services which preserve and honor your legacy. Discover how you and your family can submit an online application to find out about eligibility to be buried in a VA national cemetery.
Spotlight
Discover ways to help plan for the end of your life
Make sure you and your family are aware of important benefits regarding life insurance, end-of-life wishes, funeral and burial benefits, and survivor benefits.
The PACT Act, passed in August 2022, expands Veterans’ eligibility to benefits based on the addition of new presumptive conditions and toxic exposure locations. As a result, more survivors are eligible for benefits than ever before.
Advance directives—sometimes called “living wills”—inform medical providers of a patient’s wishes if they cannot communicate. Doctors encourage all Veterans to make an advance directive and to ask for help if the forms seem intimidating.
We offer programs to assist with end-of-life planning and help ease the burden on family members when a Veteran passes. Find out about these benefits and how they can help with future planning.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
For information on how to request a separation document, please visit our page on requesting military service records.
Losing someone can be very difficult. We provide several ways to file a life insurance death claim.
We have several pages you can visit for more information on Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, survivors pension, accrued benefits and burial allowance.
We know that you have a lot of questions during this time and we've created a frequently asked questions page.
Find out if you are eligibility by submitting a pre-need eligibility application for burial benefits.
For more information, please visit our schedule a burial page.
We know that you have a lot of questions regarding burial benefits and have created a page specially for burial frequently asked questions.
To help you get your affairs in order, visit the National Institute on Aging's checklist.
VA Benefits
Learn more about related VA benefits
Explore VA life insurance options for Veterans, service members, and families. Manage your policy online, file claims for benefits, and access helpful resources.
Get help planning a burial in a VA national cemetery, order a headstone or other memorial item to honor a Veteran's service, and apply for survivor and dependent benefits.