U.S. Coast Guard Casualty Assistance Program (USCG Casualty)

Death gratuity

A lump-sum, tax-exempt payment by the Coast Guard for a member who dies on active duty, on active or inactive duty for training, or within 120 days after discharge or release when the VA determines the death resulted from an injury or disease incurred or aggravated during that duty.^{6, 7, 8, 9, 10}

Who qualifies: The people the member designated on DD Form 93, in 10% increments. Any undesignated balance is paid to the surviving spouse, then children and descendants of deceased children, then parents, then the executor or administrator, then other next of kin.

Amount: $100,000, tax exempt.

How to apply: The assigned CACO initiates the claim on DD Form 397; no separate family application is needed. Form DD Form 397.

Life insurance proceeds

Low-cost term life insurance administered by the VA for all uniformed services, the Coast Guard included. Coverage is automatic at the top limit unless the member elects in writing to reduce or decline it.^{11, 12, 13}

Who qualifies: The beneficiary of record at the date of death: in SOES for members with full-time SGLI coverage, or on the most recent SGLV 8286 for part-time coverage. If none is designated, the order of precedence in 38 U.S.C. 1970(a) applies.

Amount: Up to $500,000 for the member, in $50,000 increments. Family SGLI: a spouse up to $100,000 in $10,000 increments, never above the member's own coverage; each dependent child $10,000 at no cost.

How to apply: The CACO helps the beneficiary file SGLV 8283 with the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (OSGLI). Form SGLV 8283.

Monthly survivor benefit or annuity

A monthly annuity administered for the Coast Guard by PPC Retiree and Annuitant Services, not by DFAS as in the DOD branches. For a member who dies on active duty, the spouse annuity is paid without any election or premium where the member was retirement-eligible or died in the line of duty.^{14, 15, 16, 17}

Who qualifies: Surviving spouse or eligible dependent children of a Coast Guard retiree who elected SBP, or of an active-duty member covered by 10 U.S.C. 1448(d); a former spouse where a court order, spousal agreement or deemed election applies.

Amount: 55% of the base amount for a beneficiary under 62 or a dependent child; reduced age-based percentages apply to a beneficiary who is 62 or older when the annuity begins.

How to apply: Report the death to PPC RAS, then file form CG-1884 with PPC RAS. Form CG-1884.

Monthly survivor benefit or annuity

A tax-free monthly VA benefit for the surviving spouse, child or parent of a service member who died in the line of duty, or of a veteran who died from a service-connected illness or injury. It is a VA benefit, not a Coast Guard one; the CACO assists with the claim.²

Who qualifies: A surviving spouse who lived with the member without a break until the death (or was not at fault for a separation) and meets a VA marriage-duration test; unmarried surviving children; surviving parents with income below the VA parents-DIC threshold.

How to apply: Spouses and children file VA Form 21P-534a for an in-service death or 21P-534EZ after a veteran's service-connected death; surviving parents file VA Form 21P-535. The CACO assists. Form VA Form 21P-534a.

Burial, funeral and memorial benefits

Burial in a VA national cemetery, a government-furnished headstone, marker, medallion, plaque or urn, a Presidential Memorial Certificate and a burial flag, on the same terms as for DOD veterans.¹⁸

Who qualifies: Coast Guard veterans discharged under conditions other than dishonorable; NOAA Corps and Public Health Service members are also eligible.

How to apply: The funeral director coordinates burial in a VA national cemetery with the National Cemetery Scheduling Office; the family does not need to file a separate eligibility application before the funeral.

Burial, funeral and memorial benefits

By statute the honors detail is two or more persons, at least two of them members of the armed forces not in a retired status. At a minimum it folds a United States flag, presents the flag to the family and plays Taps.^{4, 5, 19}

Who qualifies: Coast Guard veterans, including NOAA and USPHS. WWII Merchant Mariners with service from Dec. 7, 1941 to Dec. 31, 1946 receive honors through the Navy, as they served under naval orders.

How to apply: The funeral director, a family member or a veteran advocate sends the completed Military Funeral Honors Request Form and the veteran's DD-214 to the regional coordinator in the Military OneSource Military Funeral Honors Directory. Form MFH Request Form.

Designates who receives the Death Gratuity (in 10% increments) and who is notified in case of emergency or death.⁶

Completed by the service member.

Submitted by the CACO to initiate the $100,000 Death Gratuity payment to the designated beneficiary.^{6, 7}

Completed by the CACO.

Beneficiary claim for the SGLI or VGLI payout. The VA publishes two versions: one for use when a casualty officer is helping and one for filing directly.¹¹

Completed by the beneficiary.

Coverage and beneficiary elections for members with part-time SGLI. For full-time coverage SOES is the official system of record, and the paper form is used only in special circumstances.¹¹

Completed by the service member.

The official report of a service member's death, issued by the service and required by several benefit agencies.²⁴

Survivor application for VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation when the service member died on active duty.²

Completed by the surviving spouse or child.

Survivor application for VA DIC, Survivors Pension, or accrued benefits after a veteran's death.²

DIC application filed by surviving parents rather than by a spouse or child.²

Completed by the surviving parent.

The Coast Guard's own survivor annuity claim, filed with PPC RAS. It verifies a survivor's eligibility for an SBP, RCSBP or RSFPP annuity and "final retired pay arrears due a deceased Coast Guard, PHS, or NOAA member."¹⁷

Completed by the survivor.

Captures the SBP election at Coast Guard retirement. PPC RAS asks for it at least 90 days before the retirement date; without a signed form dated before retirement the member is enrolled in SBP for at least 24 months.¹⁴

Completed by the member, at retirement.

Filed with PPC RAS to change SBP coverage, including when a dependent covered by the plan dies.¹⁴

Requests waiver of an erroneous payment debt, such as retired pay deposited after the date of death. It must be received within three years of the date the error was discovered.³

Submitted with the veteran's DD-214 to the regional Coast Guard MFH coordinator to schedule a funeral honors detail.²⁵

Completed by the funeral director, a family member or a veteran advocate.