VA Provides Payments to Eligible Surviving Spouses

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) tries to quickly identify and pay surviving spouses who are eligible to receive the deceased veteran’s VA compensation or pension benefit for the month of the veteran’s death. This benefit is only payable to surviving spouses of veterans who were receiving VA compensation or pension benefits at the time of their death. Because VA does not always know if a veteran is survived by a spouse, some surviving spouses have not received the month-of-death benefit to which they are entitled.