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My spouse recently passed. Who can help with casualty assistance and what do I need to do?
Your first call should likely be to the Casualty Assistance Representative (CAR) that serves your area. If you don’t know who your CAR is, you can call 877-353-6807, enter your zip code, and your call will be automatically forwarded to the CAR for your area. While this is an Air Force number, CARs can assist surviving spouses from all Services. The CAR can guide you on what notifications need to be made, how to make them, assist with paperwork for the Defense Finance & Accounting Service (DFAS), Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), etc.
The Casualty Assistance Representative (CAR) on Buckley AFB is Ms. Loretta Lopez in Bldg 606 (the Mission Support Building). Loretta can also provide information regarding the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), and you can reach her at 720-847-6946.
The U.S. Army also uses Survivor Outreach Services (SOS), the official Army program designed to provide long-term support to surviving Families of fallen Soldiers. The Army has a network of SOS coordinators at locations across the country. Contact phone numbers are listed by state and county, or by country at https://dcsg9.army.mil/sos_staff_Locator . Use the drop-down lists to find survivor coordinators by state/county or country/ region. If a coordinator is not listed, you can call 210-834-0494 or the IMCOM toll free number - (833) 313-1960 for survivor assistance. Locally, you can contact Alison Patton at 720-250-1564 or alison.l.patton2ctr@army.mil
The Buckley AFB RAO can also provide you with a casualty checklist that can help guide you on what notifications need to be made, who to contact, links to various websites, phone numbers, etc. Some of the checklist items will apply and some won’t, depending on your specific situation. Below are some details for a few of the more commonly used areas of the checklist.
The customer service number at the Defense Finance & Accounting Service (DFAS) is 800-321-1080, which you can call to report the death. If you don’t already know, they will also be able to tell you whether you will be receiving a Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) payment, and what forms need to be filed for that, or the status of your claim if you have already filed for SBP. The first link below will take you to the website where you can also fill out the death notification online and the second link will tell you what needs to be filled out to get the SBP payments started. The web site will also tell you where you can mail completed forms if you choose to do that.
https://www.dfas.mil/retiredmilitary/survivors/Retiree-death/
https://www.dfas.mil/RetiredMilitary/survivors/ApplySBP/
Another good source of information, if there are any Veterans Affairs disability payments involved, are Veteran Service Officers (VSOs). These individuals are experts at dealing with the Veterans Administration (VA). VSOs services are provided free of charge and they can help write and submit benefits claims to the Veterans Administration (VA), gather information that supports your claim, track submitted claims through the system, file appeals for denied claims, etc. To find the VSO nearest you use the following website:
https://nvf.org/veteran-service-officers/
If the deceased was receiving a disability payment from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) then you may be eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). If so, then the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)-DIC offset, sometimes referred to as the “widow’s tax”, may impact you. In Dec 2018 there was a change to the law which addressed the elimination this offset in phases over three years, starting in 2021. In Dec 2020 DFAS started publishing an SBP newsletter that discusses many SBP related subjects as well as the SBP-DIC offset. The Survivor SBP Newsletter is available online and in a downloadable and shareable PDF on DFAS.mil. The newsletter is available at:
https://www.dfas.mil/survivornews
You can also find some info on this topic at the VA link below.
https://www.va.gov/disability/dependency-indemnity-compensation/
If you can’t locate a copy of the military retiree’s DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, the link below will provide you with some information on how to obtain a copy of this form.
https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records
At some point you should turn in the deceased’s military ID card. The link below will allow you to find the ID card facilities nearest you to do that and to use if you need a new military ID card.
https://idco.dmdc.osd.mil/idco/
Once you get to the site above, click on the “ID Card Office Locator & Appointments” Continue link, then plug in your zip code in the “Show Locations Near” box, select an entry for the “Radius” block, then click on “Search”. A list of sites will pop up then you can select “More Info” for the site you want to use and the “Schedule an Appointment” block and a calendar will come up for that site. You can scroll through the months on the calendar to see when appointments are available. Some locations may not show any appointments right now due to the pandemic. When you pick a day with appointments available you will see a list of the times for that day below the calendar and you can pick the one you want and click on “Book This Appointment.”
There are three locations on Buckley AFB where you can get an ID card issued (Air Force MPF in Bldg 606, Air National Guard in Hangar 801 and the Navy Operations Support Center (NOSC) at 7 North Snowmass St.) Phone numbers and addresses are available from the website above.
Casualty Assistance Representatives by Service
Do your loved ones know who to contact in the event of your death? Casualty Assistance Representatives (CARs) can help with your casualty assistance needs. Call them for an appointment to talk about what you should have ready for your loved ones in the event of your passing.
Buckley AFB Casualty Assistance Office (Loretta Lopez) - CAR/SBP Rep .... 720-847-6946
Retired Air Force......................................................1-877-353-6807
Retired Army.............................................................1-800-626-3317
Retired Coast Guard..................................................1-800-772-8724
Retired Marines.........................................................1-800-847-1597
Retired Navy.............................................................1-800-368-3202
Retired Civil Service.................................................1-888-767-6738
Receiving VA Compensation....................................1-800-827-1000
Social Security Administration..................................1-800-772-1213
There is an excellent VA Survivor Benefits Kit (paper) at the link below:
https://www.benefits.va.gov/BENEFITS/docs/VASurvivorsKit.pdf
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