Casualty and Survivor Assistance

Initial Online Survivor Benefits Reports (OSBR)

When a Service member in active status dies, the Casualty Assistance Officer (CAO) provides an initial OSBR to eligible surviving spouses and guardians of eligible family members. The initial OSBR summarizes current financial benefits and projects future benefits from all federal sources, including the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Interactive Online Survivor Benefits Report

The interactive OSBR is a financial planning tool, available to surviving spouses and dependent children of Service members who died while on active duty on or after September 11, 2001. The interactive OSBR projects anticipated “milestone” events, such as children turning 18 and aging out of dependency. In addition, the interactive OSBR includes updated benefit amounts such as annual cost-of-living-increases, other legislative changes and provides benefit amount information projections under "What If" scenarios, (i.e. what is the effect of remarriage, what is the effect on my Social Security Benefits if I start or stop working). The interactive OSBR provides survivors current and projected income streams from federal sources and uses real time data. A DS Logon premium account is required to access the OSBR.

Related Fact Sheets

Benefit Facts

ESGR

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense organization established to promote cooperation and understanding between Service members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from the employee's military commitment. The ESGR Ombudsman Services Program provides neutral counseling and mediation of issues relating to compliance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

Benefit Facts

G.I. Bill

The Post-9/11 GI Bill (chapter 33 benefits) is an education benefit program specifically for military members who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001. Depending on an individual's situation, provisions of the program may include coverage of tuition and fees, a monthly housing allowance, a books and supplies stipend, Yellow Ribbon payments, college fund, rural benefit payments and transferability to eligible immediate Family members (Spouse and Children).

Benefit Facts

SECO

SECO offers comprehensive information, tools and resources to support career exploration, education, training, licensing, employment readiness and career connections.

Benefit Facts

Dual TRICARE and VA

When leaving active duty, Service members may be entitled to or eligible for benefits offered by TRICARE and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), depending on whether the Service member retires or separates. If retiring, the Service member is eligible for TRICARE as a military retiree and may also be eligible for certain VA benefits. Service members who separate due to a service-connected disease or disability may be eligible for VA benefits and certain TRICARE benefits.

Benefit Facts

VA Home Loans

VA helps Service members, Veterans, and eligible Surviving Spouses become homeowners.

Benefit Facts

TSP

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a Federal Government-sponsored retirement savings and investment plan. It offers the same type of savings and tax benefits that many private corporations offer their employees under "401(k)" plans.

Featured: Reunion

The return home from combat can often leave servicemembers feeling out of place with the most important people in their lives - their families.

"In deployment, Soldiers grow accustomed to a new lifestyle and a new 'family' - those buddies that bond together to defend each other," said Maj. Ken Williams, 14th Military Police Brigade chaplain. "This lifestyle change is prolonged and becomes familiar, i.e., the new normal."

The families also change while the Servicemember is deployed.

"The family is a system," Williams said. "When one family member is absent, the whole system changes. All members of the family adapt to a new 'normal' way of life."

When the servicemember returns, the family may feel uncomfortable with each other, and the servicemember may withdraw from the family.