Home : Resources : Military Family Support : Military & Family Readiness : Casualty Assistance/Survivor Benefits
Casualty Assistance

The Casualty Assistance Representative (CAR) provides prompt and accurate casualty reporting, dignified and humane casualty notifications, and ensures efficient, thorough and compassionate follow-on assistance to the next-of-kin for as long as is needed.

Other services and programs that are provided to the military community include, but are not limited to; Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (SGLI), Family Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (FSGLI), Traumatic Injury Protection (TSGLI), and Emergency Family Member Travel Program (EFMT).

Survivor Benefits

The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) counselor is mandated to meet with retiring service members to provide a brief of survivor benefits and life insurance benefits. Service members must attend at least 120 days prior to their retirement effective date.

SBP is a government program which makes it possible for retiring members to ensure that after their death, their eligible survivors will receive a portion of their military retired pay in the form of a monthly annuity. The SBP was structured so that a surviving spouse cannot outlive the annuity, and it has Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) incorporated so the annuity increases with inflation.

An active duty member who has eligible dependents is automatically covered by SBP at the maximum level at no cost to the member while he/she remains on active duty.

Prior to retiring, each member must decide whether to continue SBP coverage into retirement. The retired pay of those members who elect to participate is reduced by monthly premiums. The SBP is a unique plan: Government-subsidized premiums are deducted from a participating member’s retired pay before taxes. The SBP is the sole means for a member to continue a portion of their military retired pay to their eligible survivors. If a member chooses (with the concurrence of their spouse) not to participate in the SBP, an annuity cannot be paid.