Financial Help
for Widows
Losing a partner can be emotionally and financially devastating. If you’re struggling to pay credit card bills, we listed resources to assist you through this process.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has many benefits for surviving spouses and dependents of veterans. Some have income qualifications or other restrictions. To get a start, visit va.gov/family-member-benefits.
Government Benefits for Widows
-
Benefits.gov is a place widows looking for government help can start. An online form determines what assistance you qualify for. Benefits include things like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), which was formerly known as food stamps; TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), Medicaid and Medicare information; LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program); rental assistance, and more.
-
Aging.gov has a variety of resources and information for people over 65.
-
The Social Security Survivor Benefit is paid to a spouse and dependents of someone who paid Social Security taxes through their employment. The amount is based on their income. Funeral homes generally report the death to the Social Security Administration — when you make arrangements with a funeral home, they’ll ask for your spouse’s Social Security number. If you do not receive the benefit, you must report the death to the SSA in person, it can’t be done online.
Charities and Organizations for Widows
-
Salvation Army
-
Local Hospice organizations
-
Hope for Widows Foundation
Financial Assistance for Widows of Veterans
-
The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Survivors Assistance has information on benefits and services for widows of veterans and their dependents.
-
VA benefits for widows include:
-
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). A tax-free monthly payment for surviving spouses, children, and parents of service members who die in the line of duty or from a service-related injury or illness.
-
CHAMPVA health care. Civilian Health and Medical Program VA covers some health care costs for spouses and dependents of veterans who are disabled, died of disability, or died in the line of duty.
-
Two scholarships for spouses and dependents of veterans who died, or were disabled, in the line of duty are Survivor’s and Dependents’ Educational Assistance and the Fry Scholarship. There are a huge variety of other scholarships offered by many organizations. U.S. Veterans Magazine has compiled a list.
-
VA Fiduciary Program. Help for veterans, spouses, and dependents who can’t manage their finances because of medical issues or disability.
-
VA-guaranteed home loans. Eligible spouses are guaranteed a low-interest loan through a private lender to buy a home or make repairs.
-
VA Survivors’ Pension. Monthly payments to low-income surviving spouses and unmarried dependents of veterans who served during wartime. There are income and asset requirements.
-
Burial benefits. The VA offers a free burial plot and services that go with it, to veterans and spouses in one of the many veterans’ cemeteries across the country. The VA also has a burial allowance that reimburses some cost of burial in a non-VA cemetery.
-
Life insurance. The VA has a variety of life insurance programs for veterans, spouses, and dependents.
-
Bereavement counseling. Free grief counseling for spouses, children, and parents of the active military who died while serving.
-
-
Private Help for Widows of Veterans
-
The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) offers retreats, expeditions, and survivor seminars around the country and the world for grieving members of military members who have died.
-
The Wounded Warriors Project, an organization that helps disabled veterans, also has assistance and resources for surviving families.