Understanding Death Benefits

One of the cremation services provided in Roanoke, VA will include help with the death benefits you may be entitled to after the death of your loved one. These death benefits will be directly related to the funeral arrangements, but another service the funeral home does for you is to get copies of death certificates, which you will need to claim other death benefits that may not be directly related to the funeral. 

One of the death benefits that is available to military veterans is free burial (whether it’s a traditional burial or cremation remains) in a national cemetery, with a free plot, free marker, free American flag, and military honors. To claim this death benefit, you’ll need to bring a copy of your loved one’s military discharge papers (Form DD-214) to the funeral director. He will then make all the arrangements in conjunction with the Department for Veterans Affairs for the military funeral. 

If your loved one had burial insurance, that death benefit can be claimed by the funeral home to cover final expenses. If there is money left over after funeral expenses have been paid, the funeral home will ensure that you get the balance to help pay off any outstanding medical bills that your loved one may have had. 

You will need a death certificate to make a claim for your loved one’s life insurance policy. Applying for this death benefit is fairly simple because most life insurance companies have streamlined the process because they recognize that bereaved people don’t need any extra frustration trying to obtain something that rightfully belongs to them. 

If your loved one was retired and drawing Social Security, you are likely entitled to Social Security survivor benefits. These are divided into two categories. 

One category is monthly benefits. Qualifications for this benefit include: 

• A widow or widow who is 60 or older (50 if disabled), or at any age if they are taking care of an entitled child who is disable or under 16; 
• A widow or widow who is 60 or older (50 if disabled) if the marriage lasted 10 or more years, or at any age if they are taking care of an entitled child who is disable or under 16; 
• Unmarried children under 18 if they’re attending school fulltime; 
  
• Children who became permanently disabled before they turned 22; 
  
• Parents 62 or older who were dependents of the deceased. 

The other category is a lump-sum death payment. This is given to spouses who lived in the same household as the deceased when they died and spouses and/or children who are eligible for benefits during the month that the deceased died. This payment is $255. 

To apply for Social Security death benefits, you can go to your nearest Social Security office or you can call 800-772-1213. You’ll need to have a copy of the deceased’s death certificate, their Social Security number and the Social Security numbers of people who are eligible for benefits, your birth certificate, marriage certificate or divorce papers, W-2 form for the most recent year that the deceased worked, and bank information for direct deposit of benefits payments. 

Other death benefits you may be eligible for include pension/retirement funds, civil service retirement, trade union benefits, miner’s benefits, teacher’s benefits, railroad retirement, credit union benefits, and fraternal organization benefits. 

For additional information about death benefits and cremation services in Roanoke, VA, our caring and knowledgeable staff at Lynch Conner-Bowman Funeral Home can assist you. You can visit our funeral home at 140 Floyd Ave., Rocky Mount, VA, 24151, or you can call us today at (540) 483-5533.