Order
When life feels overwhelming
Order
When life feels overwhelming
Losing someone is hard enough. These guides explain the first calls, probate, survivor benefits, and paperwork in plain language, so families can understand what comes next without sorting through scattered instructions.
Start with the family basics or go directly to the military and VA survivor guide that fits your situation. Every guide is free to read and written for the person doing the work, not for a lawyer.
Order turns that guidance into a shared family plan. It helps people organize and divide the work, but it is not legal advice.
What to do when someone dies
When you don't know where to begin, this guide walks alongside you — from the first difficult phone calls through the end of the first year. Written for families in the middle of loss, not around it.
Probate: what families need to know
Probate can feel overwhelming when you're already grieving. This guide explains what it actually means for your family — when it applies, how to navigate it, and what to expect — without the legal jargon.
Military families carry benefits — and deadlines — that most guides never address. These cover each program in full, so nothing goes unclaimed.
See all military and VA guides
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
A monthly tax-free benefit for surviving spouses, children, and parents of veterans who died from a service-connected condition. Most families don't know the full scope of who qualifies or how to file.
The DD-214: what it is and how to get a copy
Required for virtually every VA benefit, state program, and military burial — if the original is lost, here's how to get a replacement from the National Archives, and what to do if records were destroyed.
Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity
An annuity of up to 55% of a retired service member's pay for eligible surviving spouses. As of 2023, both SBP and DIC can be received in full — the old offset rule is gone.
VA burial benefits for veterans
Burial allowance, burial flag, Presidential Memorial Certificate, and free burial in a national cemetery — each requires a separate application, and most families miss at least one.
TRICARE after a service member's death
TRICARE does not end automatically. Here is how survivor coverage works for 3 years after an active-duty death, when CHCBP applies, and which deadlines matter.
CHAMPVA: VA health coverage for military dependents
The VA's health benefits program for surviving spouses and children of permanently disabled or deceased veterans. No monthly premium, no enrollment fee — and most eligible families don't know it exists.
Military Death Gratuity: the $100,000 tax-free payment
A one-time payment to active-duty families — automatic, tax-free, and often paid within 48 hours. Here's who receives it, how it works, and how it differs from SGLI life insurance.
Chapter 35 DEA: education benefits for military surviving dependents
Up to 36 months of VA education benefits for surviving spouses and children of disabled or deceased veterans. Most eligible families never know it's available — it doesn't require a GI Bill transfer.
Notifying DFAS and the VA after a military retiree's death
Two separate agencies — DFAS for retired pay, VA for pension — must each be notified separately. DFAS recovers retired pay paid after the date of death, but a surviving spouse may keep the VA payment for the month of death. Here's what to do and how to avoid the overpayment trap.
VA headstones and grave markers for veterans
Upright headstones, flat markers, niche covers, and medallions — all provided free by the VA, including for veterans buried in private cemeteries. How to apply and what to expect.
Documents & forms checklist for military survivors
Every document and form needed across all 10 military survivor benefit programs — DIC, SBP, burial, CHAMPVA, Chapter 35, and more — organized so you can gather paperwork once and file without hunting mid-process.
State-specific guidance
Where your family is shapes what comes next. Find guidance tailored to your state, so nothing important gets missed.
Military families
Military families carry responsibilities — and benefits — that go beyond what most guides address. This one covers what applies specifically to your family.
