M21-1 Manual  /  Part XI, Subpart i, Chapter 1, Section A

General Policies for Veteran First Notice of Death (FNOD) Processing

M21-1, Part XI, Subpart i, Chapter 1, Section A

Overview

In This Section

This section contains the following topics:
TopicTopic Name
1General Information About Veteran FNOD Processing
2Types of Veteran Notice of Death (NOD) Correspondence

1. General Information About Veteran FNOD Processing


Introduction

This topic contains general information on FNOD processing, including
  • purpose of Veteran FNOD processing
  • criteria for an acceptable Veteran NOD
  • Veteran FNOD processing guidelines
  • notice requirements associated with Veteran FNOD processing
  • notifying a deceased Veteran’s estate of benefits to which survivors and others may be entitled when there was
    • a running award, and
    • no running award
  • language included in a locally generated notice
  • benefits paid to surviving spouses through the FNOD process, and
  • guidelines for specific Veteran NOD situations.

Change Date

September 25, 2025

XI.i.1.A.1.a. Purpose of Veteran FNOD Processing

Veteran First Notice of Death (FNOD) processing establishes or updates a Veteran’s Beneficiary Identification and Records Locator Subsystem record with the date of the Veteran’s death. It also automatically
  • clears and takes end product (EP) credit on any pending issues for compensation and pension benefits for live Veterans and apportionees that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has not already authorized
  • discontinues any benefits being paid, and
  • terminates the power of attorney (POA) of record.
Notes:
  • The FNOD process will discontinue an award as of the first day of the month of death (MOD).
  • When the PAY STATUS field in the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS) shows Suspended, the FNOD might not discontinue the award. If the PAY STATUS field continues to display Suspended after completing the FNOD, follow the instructions in M21-1, Part XI, Subpart i, 1.A.1.i.
References: For more information on

XI.i.1.A.1.b. Criteria for an Acceptable Veteran NOD

A notice of death (NOD) is acceptable if it
  • furnishes sufficient information about the Veteran to allow a definite identification of the Veteran’s record, and
  • identifies the source of the report of the death.
Exception: If the NOD is a returned check indicating that the Veteran is deceased, identification of the source of the report of death is not necessary.There is no requirement that a NOD be in writing or originate with the next of kin.Examples:
  • Notice of a Veteran’s death from the Compensation and Pension Record Interchange (CAPRI) is considered an acceptable NOD.
  • A NOD may originate with a funeral home or other third party.
  • A report of contact based on a telephone call is an acceptable NOD if the report clearly identifies the Veteran and the caller.

XI.i.1.A.1.c. Veteran FNOD Processing Guidelines

Upon receipt of an acceptable Veteran NOD, process an FNOD only
  • on a Veteran’s record
  • under either the
    • FNOD command, or
    • establishment of an EP for a claim for survivor benefits, and
  • when the exact date of death is known.
References: For more information on processing a NOD for a

XI.i.1.A.1.d. Notice Requirements Associated With Veteran FNOD Processing

In most cases, VA must issue notice of proposed adverse action (due process) to a beneficiary before reducing or discontinuing benefits. The discontinuation of benefits based on receipt of an acceptable NOD is one of the exceptions to this rule.Although notice of proposed adverse action is not required, contemporaneous notice of the action taken is required if the NOD was obtained
  • by way of telephone or personal interview
  • from an Insurance Service Public Contact Representative, or
  • through computer matching with another Federal agency, such as the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Notes:
  • An automatic generation and mailing of a contemporaneous notice is sent to the Veteran’s last known address (as it exists in the corporate record), when
    • there was a running award of Veteran's benefits
    • a spouse is of record on the Veteran's award at the time of the FNOD entry, and
    • a user selects a Next of Kin letter on the MONTH OF DEATH screen.
  • If an award has been suspended by the SSA Death Master File notification, a user-generated letter must be sent by the claims processor.
  • Although a contemporaneous notice is not required per 38 CFR 3.103(b)(3)(iii), VA is required to provide notice of benefit eligibility per 38 U.S.C. 6303.

XI.i.1.A.1.e. Notifying a Deceased Veteran’s Estate of Benefits to Which Survivors and Others May Be Entitled When There Was a Running Award

When a VA employee processes the NOD and the Veteran has a running award, the employee is presented with the default option of sending a Next of Kin letter on the MONTH OF DEATH screen. If the employee proceeds with this selection, the Hines Information Technology Center (ITC) generates and mails a letter to the Veteran’s estate containing information about survivor benefits to which the Veteran’s survivors and others may be entitled. These benefits include
  • burial benefits
  • Survivors Pension
  • Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
  • accrued, and
  • educational benefits under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.
References: For more information on

XI.i.1.A.1.f. Notifying a Deceased Veteran’s Estate of Benefits to Which Survivors and Others May Be Entitled When There Was No Running Award

When a VA employee processes a NOD and the Veteran has a suspended or terminated award or a pending claim where no award decision has been made, a contemporaneous notice is not required, per 38 CFR 3.103(b)(3)(iii). However, VA is required to provide notice of benefit eligibility per 38 U.S.C. 6303. Notes:
  • When processing the NOD, the VA employee is presented with the option of sending a Next of Kin letter. The Next of Kin letter will not be generated or sent if the letter option is selected but the Veteran did not have a running award.
  • Medal of Honor Pension (MOHP) can be awarded to an eligible surviving spouse when a Veteran’s name is posthumously entered on the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Coast Guard Medal of Honor Roll. There is no claim for this benefit type. When this occurs, the surviving spouse will be notified by the Department of War about benefit entitlement.
References: For more information on

XI.i.1.A.1.g. Language Included in a Locally Generated Notice

Include the language below when notifying a deceased Veteran’s estate of benefits to which survivors and others may be entitled. You may be entitled to additional VA benefits. Visit this website for benefits fact sheets: https://benefits.va.gov/BENEFITS/factsheets.asp. You may also request a copy of the fact sheet by contacting us as outlined below.The fact sheets provide information about the following benefits:
  • burial
  • Survivors Pension
  • Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
  • educational benefits under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35, and
  • accrued.
A person eligible to receive accrued benefits may be a substitute claimant for the Veteran or other claimant to process a pending claim, higher-level review, or appeal to completion. You have one year from the date of death to file a claim for accrued benefits. For more information on accrued and substitution, you may visit our website at: http://www.benefits.va.gov/BENEFITS/factsheets/general/Accrued.pdf.Note: When the evidence of record indicates the Veteran was on a Medal of Honor Roll, also include the following language in the notice to the estate.A surviving spouse of a Veteran whose name has been entered on the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Coast Guard Medal of Honor Roll may be eligible for a Medal of Honor Pension (MOHP) if the spouse was married to the Veteran at the time of the Veteran’s death and either
  • they were married for one year or more immediately prior to the Veteran’s death, or
  • for any period of time, if a child was born of the marriage or was born to the Veteran and surviving spouse before the marriage.
A surviving spouse of a Veteran who was on a Medal of Honor Roll should provide VA Form 21-4170, Statement of Marital Relationship, to verify marital and parental information which can be used to verify eligibility for MOHP.

XI.i.1.A.1.h. Benefits Paid to Surviving Spouses Through the FNOD Process

After FNOD processing, the following automated benefits can be awarded to eligible surviving spouses based on information contained in the corporate record:
  • burial allowance, and
  • DIC.
The MOD payment is also awarded to eligible surviving spouses after a VA employee completes the MONTH OF DEATH screen that automatically appears after FNOD processing is completed. Note: An automatically generated letter informs the surviving spouse if the burial allowance, DIC, and/or MOD payment are awarded. References: For more information on

XI.i.1.A.1.i. Guidelines for Specific Veteran NOD Situations

Use the table below to determine the actions to take for handling specific situations that may arise when processing a NOD.
If …Then …
the fact of death is established, but the date of death is unknown
  • using the SUSPEND/RESUME button in VBMS Awards (VBMS-A), suspend the Veteran’s award, to include any associated apportionment(s), effective the first of the month following the month for which VA last paid the beneficiary, and
  • initiate development for the date of death by obtaining any of the types of evidence outlined in 38 CFR 3.211(a)-(e).
Notes:
  • The regional office (RO) may use CAPRI or the SSA INQUIRY function in VBMS to obtain a Veteran’s date of death.
  • When the fact of death is established, but development did not result in an exact date of death, follow the guidance in M21-1, Part XI, Subpart i, 2.B to prepare a finding of the fact of death, and use the date of the formal finding of the fact of death as the date for FNOD processing.
References: For more information on using
  • VBMS to suspend an award, see the VBMS-A User Guide, and
  • CAPRI, see the CAPRI User Manual.
the Veteran has a running compensation or pension awardthe FNOD processing
  • discontinues the award, to include any associated apportionment(s), as of the first day of the MOD
  • generates work item showing the status of the account if there is an overpayment, and
  • allows users to subsequently process only burial and/or survivor claims on the record.
Note: If the apportionee award is in suspense at the time of NOD processing, then the system
  • discontinues the apportionee award the first of the month following the month for which VA last paid the beneficiary, and
  • generates a work item.
Reference: For more information on system generated work items, see M21-4, Appendix B, 4.
  • the Veteran has a running award when the FNOD is processed, and
  • the date of death is more than 12 months before the processing month
the system
  • discontinues the award the first of the month following the month for which the VA last paid the Veteran, and
  • generates a work item.
  • the Veteran’s award was in a suspended status when VA received the NOD, or
  • FNOD processing did not discontinue the Veteran’s award
  • remove the date of death from the corporate record, if necessary
  • take action to manually generate and authorize the discontinuance of the Veteran’s award on the appropriate date, and
  • undertake normal NOD processing, which will update the corporate record with the date of the Veteran’s death.
the Veteran has a running education awardforward a copy of the NOD transaction to the appropriate regional processing office.Note: NOD processing suspends a running award of education benefits under 38 U.S.C. Chapters 30 or 31 but does not suspend an award under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 32 or 10 U.S.C. Chapter 1606.
the VETERAN IDENTIFICATION DATA (VID) and INSURANCE DATA screens display an
  • insurance file number, or
  • insurance policy number
the system sends a NOD transaction to the VA Regional Office and Insurance Center (VAROIC) in Philadelphia.
the Veteran was a former prisoner of war (FPOW) and there is a claim for survivor benefitsafter FNOD processing, add the POW corporate flash and expedite the claim to the outreach FPOW coordinator.Reference: For more information on claims by survivors of an FPOW, see M21-1, Part XII, Subpart i, 1.C.2.a and b.


2. Types of Veteran NOD Correspondence


Introduction

This topic contains general information on processing NODs depending on the type of correspondence received, including the process for receiving
  • a returned check as a NOD
  • an insurance claim as a NOD
  • an application for U.S. flag as a NOD, and
  • requests for VA to identify unknown remains.

Change Date

September 25, 2025

XI.i.1.A.2.a. Process for Receiving a Returned Check as a NOD

The table below describes the stages in the process of receiving a returned check as a NOD.
StageDescription
1The Department of the Treasury
  • receives a Veteran’s returned VA benefit payment, and
  • sends an electronic file to the Hines ITC.
2If the file indicates the payment was returned due to death of person entitled, the Hines ITC suspends
  • the Veteran’s award, and
  • any apportionee awards.
3The Hines ITC
  • processes the payment, and
  • establishes an EP 290 with an applicable proceed claim label for action by the RO of jurisdiction (ROJ).
Reference: For more information on claim labels associated with a proceed balance, see M21-4, Appendix C, 1.b.
4The ROJ
  • considers establishment of the EP in Stage 3 as notice of the Veteran’s death
  • undertakes development action to determine the exact date of death, and
  • processes the proceeds, as appropriate.
Reference: For more information on benefits not negotiated prior to death, see M21-1, Part XI, Subpart ii, 3.E.4.

XI.i.1.A.2.b. Process for Receiving an Insurance Claim as a NOD

Accept any of the following forms as a NOD: Upon receipt of the form,
  • process the NOD, and
  • forward the insurance claim to the Philadelphia VAROIC.

XI.i.1.A.2.c. Process for Receiving an Application for U.S. Flag as a NOD

To process a VA Form 27-2008, Application for United States Flag for Burial Purposes, follow the guidance provided in M21-1, Part XI, Subpart iii, 1.D.

XI.i.1.A.2.d. Process for Receiving Requests for VA to Identify Unknown Remains

VA does not accept requests for identification of unknown remains from
  • public authorities
  • funeral directors, or
  • other responsible and interested persons.
Use the table below to determine how to handle requests for the identification of unknown remains.
If the request is …Then …
made in personadvise the interested party to submit the request to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
received through the mail
  • return the request by the most expeditious means to the interested party, and
  • advise that party to submit the request to the FBI.

Source: VA M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual, M21-1, Part XI, Subpart i, Chapter 1, Section A (U.S. government work, reproduced for reference). Browse all sections →