MNG-058 · DEATH, FAMILY & SURVIVORS
Casualty Assistance & Survivor Support
Understand casualty assistance officers, survivor benefit reports, long-term survivor support, funeral coordination, benefit applications, investigations, and survivor records.
What casualty assistance should help coordinate
- Official notification and family contact
- Mortuary/funeral and military-honors coordination
- Death gratuity and service-specific benefits
- SGLI/insurance and beneficiary claims
- Final pay and survivor-pay issues
- SBP and VA survivor benefits where applicable
- TRICARE/DEERS and family eligibility changes
- Requests for investigations, reports and service records
- Transition to long-term survivor-support programs
Preserve the survivor benefit report
Keep every benefit estimate, election, application, signed form, case number, contact log and decision. The casualty officer helps navigate the systems but does not replace the separate agency or insurer that makes each benefit decision.
Military OneSource states that after initial benefit applications and requests for fatality reports/investigations are completed—or when the survivor no longer needs casualty-assistance help—the casualty officer coordinates a warm handoff to the service’s long-term survivor program.
Official sources
- Military OneSource — Casualty Assistance Program
- Military OneSource — Survivor Assistance
- Military OneSource — Long-Term Assistance
Source status: SRC-138; SRC-139; SRC-140 verified October 4, 2026. Survivor eligibility depends on the deceased person’s status, elections, relationship records, dates, and the particular benefit program.
