What to Expect If You Submit a Claim for a Deceased Veteran's VA Life Insurance
Start with a phone call to the VA. You can find the number by searching for "VA Life Insurance Claim". Make sure the link you click is a .gov website. You'll need the full name of the deceased, their SS#, and the policy number for the life insurance. The representative you talk to can retrieve the policy information quickly on the computer. The representative I talked to was very efficient, polite, and offered sincere condolences.
You'll get asked a number of other questions, mostly to identify yourself. The representative can see who are the beneficiaries listed in the policy. If your name is one of them, that's good. If not, it gets more complicated. Often the beneficiary list has not been updated in many years, so if you're a woman, you may be listed with your birth last name. Some of the beneficiaries could be deceased, as in my case.
Be prepared to tell the representative if any of the beneficiaries have died.
Next, the representative, having established that you have a claim to make, will ask for your mailing address. The VA will send you a claim form in the mail. Expect it to take a few days to get to you.
You will have to supply a number of documents when you submit the form. A death certificate for the late veteran, plus death certificates for any deceased beneficiaries. If you don't have those, it will take some time to obtain them. Proof of identity for yourself, which might include a birth certificate showing that the veteran is your parent. The form has a field for your state driver's license number, as well. Fill the form out carefully. If more than one beneficiary submits a claim, only one copy of the death certificates is needed. Those should be sent by the first applicant.
IMPORTANT: After filling out the form, and before sending it off, make a copy of the completed form. You can scan it, photograph it, or photocopy it. If something goes wrong, you will need that copy. In fact, make copies of everything you send off while dealing with someone's estate. You will definitely need a copy of something at some point.
You can mail the form and required documentation or upload it on a VA website. I suggest mailing it. To upload, you'll need a scanner to create pdf files of the form and other documents. You could also take photos with your cell phone, but that's more iffy. If the forms can't be seen clearly, you'll have to resubmit them. That introduces delays. If you mail your claim, send it via USPS Priority Mail so you can track it easily.
You can choose to receive a check for the benefit you are entitled to, or you can provide direct deposit information to your bank account on the claim form. I suggest the latter, since it will speed up processing of the claim. You'll need the routing number and account number for your bank account. If you don't know how to find that information, Google "routing and account number."
Allow for a couple or three weeks to pass. The claim must be received and then processed. They check everything carefully. If there is more than one beneficiary, your claim won't be processed until all beneficiaries have submitted claims, so communicate with the others. Don't be impatient. It takes a bit of time for everything to happen.
Around three weeks from sending your claim in, or maybe less if you submit online, your benefit check or direct deposit will show up. If not, call the number at the VA you called originally and inquire. That is why you make a copy of the claim form. You'll need the information on it when you call.
Anyhow, that's how it works, based on my own experience. A pretty smooth operation at the VA.
