VA Parents’ Dependency and Indemnity Compensation.VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation.Servicemembers Group Life Insurance claim payment.DoD Death Gratuity ($100,000, tax-exempt).If you suspect you have been contacted by a scammer posing as a VA representative for death benefits or other programs, call the Federal Trade Commission at 87 for advice and help.
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If you aren’t sure how to proceed, call the Department of Veterans Affairs before you talk to the officer and request guidance on how to deliver the information. A legitimate Casualty Assistance Officer will not request these details be provided by phone. Copies of other official documentation such as death certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, etc.ĭo NOT give sensitive personal data such as Social Security Numbers, dates of birth, banking information, etc.Copies of any official record of the last known address and other contact information.Copies of military orders, discharge paperwork, or other indicators of the service member’s status immediately before death.It’s this person’s job to verify the accuracy of the information in DoD records so you will need to gather some information to provide the officer including: No matter how you are notified, this Department of Defense representative will work with you to make sure you know your benefits, rights, and responsibilities. Sometimes the family is notified of the servicemember’s death by the Casualty Assistance Officer. In some cases, a family may be notified of a service member’s death before a DoD Casualty Assistance Officer can get in touch. During this process you should also contact the Department of Veterans Affairs to make inquiries and request assistance. If you know the base but not the unit, or do not know the whereabouts of the service member for sure, call the Red Cross for assistance. If you learn of a family member’s death as a result of military service, the first thing you should do is to contact the military member’s unit or command support staff (if known) to verify the information. What To Do If You Become A Gold Star Family The last Sunday in September is also Gold Star Family Day.The last Sunday of September is designated Gold Star Mother’s Day.Gold Star families are honored in several ways each year including: Gold Star honors are typically presented to the next-of-kin during the service member’s funeral. This version symbolizes active duty service members “who lost their lives in non-combat operations” according to Navy.mil. In 1947 Congress approved an “official Gold Star Lapel Button,” which formally recognizes service members who lost their lives in combat.Ī Gold Star lapel button (awarded to next-of-kin) was created in 1973. And families often had more than one gold star in their flags.Īs time went by, the use of the gold star in this way extended to lapel pins and buttons they are awarded to family members by the military services. The gold star was and is a signifier that the family has made the ultimate sacrifice.
Families who had loved ones who died in the line of duty would have the blue star replaced with a gold one. These flags included blue stars for every family member who served in uniform.
The Army official site has a page dedicated to these families, reminding the rest of the military community and their loved ones, “The Army recognizes that no one has given more for the nation than the families of the fallen.” Evolution Of The Gold StarĪ tradition dating back to the First World War, military service flags were flown by military families. Those left behind are recognized as Gold Star families.Īccording to a 2019 USO official site article, there have been more than 16,000 American troops who died in non-combat circumstances, and some 7,000 “died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars alone” since 9/11 as well as thousands of Gold Star Families who lost loved ones in both world wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and other conflicts. Those who have died on duty leave behind parents, siblings, spouses, and children.
The Gold Star family is one that has experienced a loss of a loved one–an immediate family member who died as the result of military service.
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