There is no entitlement to disability compensation payment (including war widow(er)’s pension) for the pension period in which the veteran (or war widow(er) dies.

A formal claim for pension under Part II or IV of the VEA can be made after death by the veteran’s LPR, only if the veteran made an informal claim prior to their death (in writing, but not on an approved form.)

Any claim submitted before the death of a veteran can continue to be investigated and determined with priority. 

For more information on DRCA related policy, go to: 

Can permanent impairment compensation be claimed and paid following a veteran's death? | CLIK

Under both the MRCA and DRCA, where there is a will, the determination is provided to the legal personal representative (LPR)/executor with any compensation payable made to the estate only. 

When a delegate is notified of the death of a veteran, their claim can still be investigated and progress as normal. However, before any communication can be had with a third party (outside of DVA), the delegate must quickly identify who the legal personal representative (LPR) or personal representative is. Any communication or correspondence regarding the claim must be made directly to the LPR only.

For the purposes of these procedures, legal personal representative as defined in the MRCA is synonymous with personal representative as defined in the DRCA. 

Any claim for compensation must take priority when a veteran dies. When the business area becomes aware of the death, the claim’s priority status must change. 

Generally, death notifications are received by the service coordinators in Client Coordinated Support (CCS) branch. The service coordinator will then inform the business area. 

If the veteran is not receiving assistance from a dedicated service coordinator, and a delegate or client support officer (CSO) is informed directly of their death via a phone call, they should:

Appeals of MRCA decisions made prior to 21 April 2025 should still be lodged with DVA. They cannot be reviewed by the VRB.

DVA will prepare a report with relevant documents and send it to the client, allowing 28 days or more for comments. The report and comments are then sent to the VRB. DVA may decide in the client’s favour without involving the VRB.