More than 6 million Americans receive earned benefits for military service – including disability compensation, education benefits, caregiver assistance, burial benefits and more. It is critical for spouses and caregivers to know how veterans benefits are accessed and what could happen when or if a veteran dies.
Consider this scenario. A veteran has not told his spouse much about his veteran’s benefits. The veteran dies suddenly. His spouse grieves and plans a funeral, which she pays for out of pocket. The $2,500 tax-free payment from the VA for her husband’s disability compensation has stopped being deposited into their bank account, which her spouse managed. Now she struggles to meet her expenses and is afraid she will have to sell their home.
Ultimately, she realizes she must connect with the VA to try to access survivor benefits. As she works her way through the bureaucracy, she struggles to understand what she may be eligible for and knows little about what her husband was receiving. This can be overwhelming during the best of times, but during this period of loss, it adds more stress.
Surviving spouses facing this situation are often approached by agents who offer to help them with VA benefits in return for payment. Faced with what feels like an insurmountable situation, some agree, even though paying for help is not necessary as many free resources are available to assist them.
Here are some tips to help veterans prevent this types of scenario from befalling their loved ones.
Organize veterans benefits paperwork and information in a binder, and/or in a special digital folder that you share with your family. Carefully organize all the documentation related to your military service, your application for benefits, and the decision letters describing service connection. Store paper copies in a fireproof cabinet or safe. It is ideal to scan or photograph paper documentation and to also store it digitally on a computer or thumb drive.
Explain your current veterans benefits to your family. Schedule a day and time to talk one-on-one with your family about the benefits you receive. Get out your binder and digital files and explain to them how the information is organized. Help them understand the situation as it is today.
Discuss what happens to these benefits after you die and what additional benefits the family may receive. Disability compensation payments stop after a veteran dies. Additional survivor and burial benefits may be available after a veteran’s passing. You can learn more by checking online at VA.gov or with a veterans service officer (VSO).
Plan ahead for possible financial shortfalls. Even if a survivor benefit is awarded to a widow or widower by the VA, the payment for this benefit will typically be lower than the disability compensation the veteran received while alive. One way to address this income shortfall before the veteran dies is to purchase life insurance that will provide additional income for the spouse.
Give your family contact information for your VSO. Ideally, your spouse should be introduced to the VSO, so the spouse knows who can assist with applying for survivor and burial benefits after the veteran dies.
While these conversations can be tough for many, they can better inform and relieve stress for our families in the future. You want for the people you love to be taken care of after you are gone, so do not delay having these conversations.
Paul R. Lawrence, Ph.D., served as Under Secretary for Benefits at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from May 2018 to January 2021. He is the author of “Veterans Benefits for You: Get what You Deserve,” published in 2023.
Paul Lawrence
Purcellville, VA
Invasive Zebra Mussels hitchhike to AK on aquarium products
Alaskans who purchased marimo moss balls asked to call hotline.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (ADNR) are alerting Alaskans, aquarium owners, and the aquatic pet industry that shipments of marimo moss balls (Aegagrophila linnaei), also commonly called Cladophora balls, contaminated with invasive zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) were improperly shipped to Alaska and a number were sold in pet stores as early as May 2024.
If you have purchased marimo moss balls from a local store or an online retailer, your aquarium could be contaminated with zebra mussels. Please contact the ADF&G invasive species hotline at 1-877-INVASIV (1-877-468-2748) for guidance on disposing of aquarium pets or sanitizing aquariums and aquarium water.
Marimo moss balls are living algae balls which are placed in aquariums and fish tanks as visually appealing additives, or they can be displayed as stand-alone decor. This is not the first time zebra mussels have hitchhiked to Alaska on wild-collected moss balls. This pathway for introduction of aquatic invasive species was initially observed and reported on in 2021. Since then, state laws have been implemented to reduce the chance of these nonnative and invasive organisms causing negative economic or environmental consequences in Alaska waters.
A prohibition on importing, possessing, transporting, buying, selling, or offering for sale any part of an invasive zebra mussels or marimo moss ball became effective in 2021. Zebra mussels and other dreissenid mussels are listed as banned invasive species under ADF&G regulation 5 AAC 41.075 (Classification of banned invasive species), which went into effect April 25, 2021.
ADNR established a Marimo and Cladophora Balls exterior quarantine under authority of AS 03.05.010 and AS 03.02.027, effective April 6, 2021; therefore, it is prohibited to import, transport, buy, offer for sale or distribute these aquatic pests. However, it was recently discovered that these moss balls have been imported and then sold in Alaska.
Introduction of aquatic invasive species occurs when unwanted aquarium pets and plants or aquarium water is dumped into Alaska creeks, lakes or other water bodies, or down the drain. Although this is prohibited, we know it occurs based on other invasive organisms reported to ADF&G, such as goldfish, a freshwater ray, and the notoriously invasive aquatic plant Elodea, which is now widespread in parts of Alaska.
Juvenile zebra mussels are not visible to the naked eye and could go unobserved in an aquarium. Although it might seem harmless to dump your aquarium water into the nearby pond or down the drain, if zebra mussels are able to grow to adulthood, they will cause harmful problems where they become established. As adults, these fingernail-sized freshwater shellfish with zebra-striped shells, pose a significant threat to Alaska freshwater environments. They destroy food webs, salmon habitat, and cause loss of recreational opportunities.
Costly negative economic impacts to fisheries and infrastructure for hydropower and drinking water have occurred in other states where zebra mussels were inadvertently released. Additionally, waterfront homeowners could see property values decline.
ADF&G and ADNR are working together with other states and federal agencies to address this concerning issue and continue to collaborate on aquatic invasive species prevention, management, and control.
For information on how to identity and report invasive species, visit ADF&G’s Invasive Species webpage or contact Tammy Davis:
https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=invasivespeciesreporter.main
To learn more about ADNR’s quarantine of moss balls, please follow the link below or contact Mia Kirk:
Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game
Anchorage, AK
