State Unemployment Benefits in Virginia: when someone dies
A 3-step process for Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) after a death in Virginia.
OverviewWhen someone dies
Administering agency
Virginia Employment Commission (VEC)
Phone866-832-2363
WebsiteVisit website →
Authority
16VAC5-60-30; Va. Code § 60.2-633
Verified Jul 2026
Steps to take
- Call the Virginia Employment Commission at 866-832-2363 to report the claimant's death.
- Provide proof of the claimant's death, and evidence of your authority over the estate (such as a certificate of qualification as executor), so VEC can issue any benefits due to the decedent's estate under 16VAC5-60-30.
- Ask VEC whether any benefits were paid that the claimant was not entitled to, which are repayable to the Commission under Va. Code § 60.2-633.
Frequently asked questions
Report the death to the Virginia Employment Commission. Under 16VAC5-60-30, if the claimant had met the eligibility requirements of the Act before dying, then upon proof of death the check for all benefits due is payable to the decedent's estate. Benefits the claimant was not entitled to are repayable to the Commission under Va. Code § 60.2-633, though a non-fraud overpayment is discharged from the Commission's records upon the claimant's death.
The decedent's estate. 16VAC5-60-30 provides that the check for all benefits due is payable to the estate, so the executor or court-appointed administrator receives it on the estate's behalf after supplying proof of the claimant's death. VEC publishes no online form for this — call the Customer Contact Center at 866-832-2363.
Sources
Data sourced from State Unemployment Benefits in Virginia primary sources (4 pages reviewed). How we research.
Administering agency
Virginia Employment Commission (VEC)
Phone866-832-2363
WebsiteVisit website →
Authority
16VAC5-60-30; Va. Code § 60.2-633
Verified Jul 2026