SURVIVOR BENEFITS
Effective: 2013
GENERAL BENEFITS:
CASUALTY ASSISTANCE: Complete casualty assistance is rendered to survivors of retiree of any branch of
service. The Casualty Assistance Representative for Tyndall AFB, FL is Mrs. Alicia B. Gibbons in building 747.
Telephone number is (850) 283-4204. Normal operating hours are 7:30 a. m. to 4:30 p. m., Monday - Friday.
Reports of death after other than normal duty hours may be directed to the Tyndall AFB Operations Center, 2832155. Air Force Retiree deaths may also be reported to the Air Force Personnel Center, Randolph AFB, TX 1-800558-1404 (8am - 5pm, Mon-Fri) or Casualty Operations Center, 1-800-433-0048.
MILITARY HONORS: Provided by the Tyndall AFB Honor Guard within their area of responsibility. Based on
availability; cannot be pre-arranged. Servicing funeral home coordinates. (850) 283-4405 or 4411.
PRESIDENTIAL MEMORIAL CERTIFICATE: Honors memory of honorably discharged deceased veterans.
Eligible recipients include the next of kin, other relatives or friends. Apply through VA Regional Offices or write:
National Cemetery Administration, 5109 Russell Road, Quantico, VA 22134-3903. Provide copy of DD Form 214 or
discharge document.
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION BURIAL ALLOWANCE AND BURIAL FLAG: VA will pay up to $2,000 if death is
service-connected. $300 if, at time of death, member received pension or compensation from VA or death occurs in a
VA facility or a nursing home with which VA contracted. VA provides an American flag to drape the casket of a
veteran or reservist entitled to retired military pay. After the funeral, the flag may be given to the next of kin or a close
associate. Funeral home handles. 1-800-827-1000
(www.vba.va.gov/VBA/benefits/factsheets/burials.Burial/pdf)
BURIAL IN NATIONAL CEMETERY: Burial benefits in a national cemetery include the gravesite, opening and
closing of the grave, and perpetual care. Retirees and dependents are eligible for burial in one of VA’s 131 national
cemeteries i.e., Barrancas National Cemetery, Bay Pines National Cemetery, Florida National Cemetery,
Jacksonville National Cemetery, Sarasota National Cemetery, South Florida National Cemetery, and St. Augustine
National Cemetery. Contact funeral home for arrangements. (http://www.cem.va.gov)
HEADSTONES & MARKERS: Headstones and markers and their placement are provided at the government’s
expense. Flat bronze, flat granite, flat marble, upright granite and upright marble types are available. When burial
occurs in a cemetery other than a national, military post or state veterans cemetery, the headstone or marker must
be applied for from VA (funeral home handles). 1-800-697-6947 (www.vba.va.gov/Survivors/index.htm) Note:
There is no charge for the headstone or marker itself, however arrangements for placing it in a private cemetery are
the applicant's responsibility and all setting fees are at private expense.
UNPAID PAY AND SURVIVOR BENEFIT PLAN ANNUITY: Referred to by DFAS-CL as “Arrears of Pay”. Pay due
designated beneficiary for month of death only. Program allows personnel who retired on or after 21 Sep 72 to
receive reduced retired pay in order to provide an annuity for beneficiaries after the death of the retiree. The retiree
designates the beneficiaries. Typical annuity for surviving spouses equals 55% of base amount elected. Contact
the Defense Finance Accounting Service (Cleveland Center). 1-800-321-1080 (www.dfas.mil)
COMMERCIAL INSURANCE: (Note: Keep beneficiaries current at all times; beneficiary designation is not affected
by any other documents, such as a divorce decree or will).
AIR FORCE ENLISTED WIDOWS AND DEPENDENTS HOME AND THE HAWTHORNE HOUSE: Located in
Fort Walton Beach, FL (Teresa Village) and Shalimar, FL (Bob Hope Village and The Hawthorne House).
Survivors of Air Force enlisted members over age 55 are eligible for residency. Contact the Air Force
Enlisted Men’s Widows and Dependents Home Foundation, Inc. for information. 1-800-258-14l3
DEPARTMENT OF VA INSURANCE: For National Service Life Insurance (NSLI), Veterans’ Group Life Insurance
(VGLI) or Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance (SGLI), notify them at 1-800-669-8477.
DEERS: Notify the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) at 1-800-538-9552 or visit your
nearest military facility for a new identification card for commissary and exchange privileges.
Alicia Gibbons/325 FSS/FSFR/283-4204/ag/11 January 2013
FEDERAL BENEFITS
MONTHLY BENEFITS:
DEPENDENCY & INDEMNITY COMPENSATION (DIC): Surviving Spouse: $1215; $301 added each child under
age 18. DIC is a tax-free benefit for the surviving spouse and dependent children. A spouse's Survivor Benefits
Plan (SBP) annuity is reduced by any DIC amount received. VA Form 21-534a, Application for Dependency
and Indemnity Compensation by a Surviving Spouse or Child, is used for this purpose. Send claim form to Florida
Dept of Veterans Administration Regional Office, P.O. Box 1437, St Petersburg, Florida 33731-1437. The following
information is very helpful: Name and address of medical facilities/doctors maintaining medical records for
treatment received by the retiree since retirement from the USAF. This data is vital to survivors in ensuring
accurate and expeditious processing of a claim to the VARO.
SOCIAL SECURITY: The Social Security Administration makes monthly payments to: A spouse age 60 or older; a
disabled spouse age 50 or older; children under age 18 or 19 who are full-time students at a primary or secondary
school; children age 18 or older who were disabled before age 22. No restrictions of earnings if over 65. Social
Security pays a one-time payment of $255 for the burial allowance to surviving spouse or child under age 18.
Apply through your local Social Security Administration Office or call 1-800-772-1213
(http://www.socialsecurity.gov)
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT: If the member was a civil servant or retired civil servant, notify the
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) toll-free at 1-888-767-6738. (www.opm.gov)
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION EDUCATIONAL ALLOWANCE: A monthly benefit is paid for up to 45 months for
spouse & children. Marriage no barrier for children, it is for spouse. Children draw between age of 18 & 26. 1-888442-4551 (www.gibill.va.gov)
Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents 2010 Edition visit
(http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/benefits_book.asp)
IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS:
The following documents should be made available to the USAF Casualty Assistance Representative:
a. Death Certificate with the cause of death
b. DD 214 (Certificate of Separation)
c. Retirement Order
d. Current Marriage Certificate and (or) divorce papers or death certificates for previous marriages (both retiree and
survivor)
e. Birth Certificates for minor children or handicapped adult children
f. Adoption and (or) custody documents
g. Dependency documents for adult handicapped children
Alicia B. Gibbons, GS-09, DAF
Casualty Assistance Representative/SBP Counselor
Alicia Gibbons/325 FSS/FSFR/283-4204/ag/11 January 2013