3? Department of Veterans Affairs - - Posox4nmo 6mg? 'r In Reply Refer to: .Veterans Claim 24 272 498 ESTATE OF JOSEPH KANE ST PETERSBURG FL - 55:40 . ?r t?msf To Whom It May Concern: We are sang to learn about-the {lamb of JOSEPH This letter information regarding Department of Veterans Affairs (V A) bene?ts for Survivors of the Veteran. It There Is a Surviving Spense- The surviving spouse of a Veteran is generally entitled to the Veteran?s bene?t payment for the month in which the veteran died. Our records do not indicate whether the Veteran was married at the time of death. Please forward this letter to the surviving spouse (if any) or ask the surviving spouse 'to contaCt us as provided below. To receive the Veteran's bene?t fer the mouth of death, the surviving spouse must call us with the following information or submit a signed statement that includesjt. It is essential that the Veteran?s name and claim namber at the top of this letter be included for identi?cation purpoms. Veteran?s name Veteran?s claim number Surviving spouse?s name Surviving spouse?s Social Security number . Surviving spouse?s date of birth . Surviving spouse?s current address and phone number .1 f0 30 How many times was the veteran married? - I 3. Dates and places of marriages (citY/state or country) b. To whom married a 2 (g c- How prior marriages terminated (death/divorce) d. Dates and places of termination (city/state or country) 8. How many times was the surviving spouse married? Dates and places of meninges (city/state or country) To whom'marriedl How prior marriages terminated (death/divorce) Dates and places of termination (City/state or country) sonswwe para (.1 F530 lit at . - . a I 0WD What Additional Bene?ts May Be Available Survivors may be entitled to additional VA bene?ts. Visit this website for a bene?ts fact sheet: A copy of the fact sheet can also be requested by contacting us as outlined below. The fact sheet provides information about the following: Burial Bene?ts Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Pension Education and Training Home Loan Guaranty Health Care Life Insurance Proceeds Education Program Refund Related Bene?ts Where to Return Payments Issued After the Veteran?s Death If any VA payments wereissued in the Veteran?s name after the date of death, they must be returned. All VA checks not cashed by the Veteran must be returned to: Department of Treasury Financial Management Service PJD. Box 51316 Philadelphia, PA 1_9?t 15?6316 Please request the ?nancial institution return any VA payments directly deposited to? the veteran?s checking or savings account, If any payments issued after the Veteran?s death are not returned, you Will receive noti?cation ?'orn Debt Management Center in St. PauL Minnesota of the amount of the outstanding debt. Instructions for returning the ?funds will be presided. Please be aware thatany funds not returned may be eleuhonically reclaimed from the veteran?s account. - For More Information or'Assistance If you have questions about this letter or would like more information about VA bene?t programs and how to apply, you may visit our website at or call us at 1?800- Fq 827?1000., If you use a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf the number is 1?800- 82'9?4833. You may also write to us at the address at the top of this litier or on the Internet at gov. I i .. I Sincerely yours, Lucy fiftpor) LUCY Pension Management Center Manager THE UNDER SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR BENEFITS WASHINGTON, 0.0. 20420 May 6, 2016 The Honorable David W. Jolly US. House of Representatives Washington DC 20515-0913 Dear Congressman Jolly: I am providing a follow-up response to your November 4, 2015, letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regarding erroneous terminations of VA benefit awards. You requested that VA report on the number of instances of erroneous termination of benefits that have occurred over the past five years. Although we are able to identify cases where benefits were terminated based on an erroneous notice of a beneficiary's death and subsequently reinstated, our computer systems do not collect information on the cause of the errors VA employee error, erroneous information received through a data-matching program, incorrect identifying data provided by a third party, etc.). During calendar years 2011 through 2015, VA terminated 2,057,790 awards due to the death of the beneficiary. During the same time period, VA resumed awards for 4,201 of these beneficiaries after receiving information indicating the beneficiary was not deceased. The accuracy of award terminations due to death was 99.8 percent. Calendar Award Terminations Terminated Awards Percent of Year Due to Death Subsequently Erroneous Resumed (by year of Terminations resumption) 201 1 436,932 987 0.226% 2012 411,083 715 0.174% 2013 414.013 654 0.158% 2014 405,535 820 0.202% 2015 390,227 1 .025 0.263% Total 2,057,790 4,201 0.204% If you have any further questions, please have a member of your staff contact Angela Prudhomme, Congressional Relations Officer, at (202) 226-6471, or by email at Angela.Prudhomme@va.gov. Thank you for your continued support of our mission. Sincerely, Danny G.l. Pummill Acting