During World War I, Americans hung blue stars in their windows for every family member serving in the military. If a loved one died in service, a gold star replaced the blue one. Since then, the Gold Star has symbolized the spouses and family members of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Every year on April 5, America salutes these spouses on Gold Star Spouses Day.
If you are a survivor of a fallen Veteran or service member, you are not forgotten. VA provides a variety of benefits that can help you navigate life after your loss.
Available benefits
- Education and training. Survivor’s and Dependents’ Education Assistance Program may be able to help you pay for school or job training through a GI Bill program.
- VA home loan guaranty. You can apply for a Certificate of Eligibility to help you buy, build, repair or refinance a home. You may also qualify for a VA-backed home loan if you are having trouble paying your mortgage.
- Life insurance. You may be able to convert a spousal Family Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance policy to an individual policy within 120 days from the date of your loved one’s passing.
- Pre-need eligibility determination for burial in a VA national cemetery. VA can help you plan ahead to make the burial process easier for your family at that time.
- Burial benefits and memorial items. You can apply for help paying burial costs, request memorial items or learn about grief counseling and transition support.
- Survivors Pension. Survivors Pension offers monthly payments to qualified surviving spouses and unmarried dependent children of wartime Veterans who meet certain income and net worth limits set by Congress.
- Compensation for surviving spouses and dependents. You may qualify for a tax-free monetary benefit called VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (VA DIC). Visit https://www.va.gov/disability/dependency-indemnity-compensation/ to learn more about the documents you will need to apply for VA DIC.
There are some specific eligibility requirements for each of these benefits, so be sure to check out the full list of family member benefits to find out which benefits you may qualify for and how to access them.
VA recognizes the sacrifices Gold Star spouses have made for their country. To honor the legacy of your loved one, VA continues to ensure that you and your family receive the benefits and services you have earned.
Meghan Badame is a communications and marketing specialist with VBA’s Office of Strategic Engagement
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My mother in law was married to a serviceman KIA in WW2. She remarried, divorced, remarried, divorced and married again. Her last husband died and we went to the local VA office in our town to reinstate her widows benefits since she was single again. The man we spoke to said she had no benefits. I felt he was wrong since I was a military wife of a retired Navy Senior Chief and asked him if he was positive about her losing the benefits permanently. He was adamant that she was entitled to nothing. I asked him to check with someone who might know more in the VA but again he was adamant that he knew what he was talking about. His error cost her years of benefits. He didn’t know what he was talking about or he didn’t listen to us that she was a widow of a KIA service member from WW2 who was again widowed. She and her son at the time her husband was declared KIA received the benefits due them and those were discontinued when she married again. When she was widowed again she could re-apply for those benefits except that the man in the VA office was sure he was right. The VA opened a new office in our town and we decided to talk to them again. The man who helped us was an angel. He checked into everything he could and found she did qualify and could even get it paid retroactive for a number of years plus her out of pocket expenses for medical if she had receipts. Please make sure who ever you work with does indeed know what widows are entitled to, don’t loose years of benefits like she did.
I don’t know if you can help me, my wife died in January of 2020. Became very depressed and as a result moved to Jacksonville Florida, keep my world together for the most part for a year lost my job last month and now finding myself on the streets homeless could probably use some counseling but I don’t know what to do anymore is there somewhere for me to turn I also had tricare but I think it is lapsed because I don’t have the money. Please get back to me
My Mother has been a GSW since the Vietnam War. My father served two tours of duty until he was KIA. She raised my brothers and me alone and never remarried. The love of her life had died.
Spouses under go so much from Veterans, especially upon returns from long deployments. I am glad that they are being recognized for all the comfort, open mind, and patients it takes us to live on a day to day basis.
Good for them. Those families deserve our support