Seniors & carers / Australia-wide
DVA bereavement payment and funeral benefit
Money for the partner or estate of a veteran who has died, and help with funeral costs.
Opens dva.gov.au, the official site.
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What you need to check
If a veteran who got a Veterans’ Affairs payment dies, their partner may get a bereavement payment. If the veteran got an income support pension, such as the Service Pension, the partner must also get one of these pensions. They get a lump sum: the difference between the couple rate and the new single rate over 98 days. If the veteran got a Disability Compensation Payment, the partner gets 6 fortnights at the old rate. Partners do not need to apply. DVA pays it once you tell them about the death. A funeral benefit of up to $3,000 may also help. It is paid without a claim for some veterans. Otherwise the estate or a family member applies within 12 months. Under the newer MRCA scheme, the partner must make a claim.
This is a short summary. Other rules may apply, like income or where you live. Check the full rules with the agency that runs it.
About this source
We last reviewed this listing on 5 Nov 2026. Our automatic check could not open the official page on 5 Nov 2026. We need to look at it again. Check the rules on the official site.
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