Benefits your family may already be owed

Depending on the dates and duties, this can include certain waters off Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, certain places in Cambodia, Guam, American Samoa, Johnston Atoll, the Korean DMZ and certain C-123 aircraft work. This is not the full list.

See the VA's list of places, dates and illnesses.

His illness does not have to be the main cause of death. It counts if it contributed, meaning it played a real part or made it harder for him to survive.

Cardiac arrest is how most people die. The VA looks at what led to it. Ischemic heart disease is also on the Agent Orange list, so a heart related death may count on its own.

You can still apply. His medical records, or a letter from a doctor saying the illness contributed to his death, can be used as evidence. A free veterans officer can help you gather this.

That's common. For illnesses on the VA's Agent Orange list, the VA already assumes the connection if he served in a qualifying place. You don't have to prove the chemical caused it.

You can still qualify. Many Vietnam veterans never filed while they were alive. If his death is connected to his service, his rating doesn't matter for the base payment.

You may still qualify if the VA rated him totally disabled for at least 10 years before he died. There are also rules for a rating held since discharge for at least 5 years, and for former prisoners of war. Other service related causes of death can qualify too.

Marriage length, separation and remarriage can matter. Some children and parents may also qualify. A veterans officer can check the rules with you.

A person whose job is helping veterans and their families with VA benefits. They know the forms, the rules and the people to call. Accredited representatives from groups like the VFW and American Legion do the same thing. All of them help for free.

No. You should never have to pay someone to file your first VA claim. If anyone asks for money up front, say no and call your veterans officer instead.

Some accredited attorneys or claims agents can charge for certain later services, such as help after a decision. You can still choose free help.

You're not crazy. It is a lot. One phone call is enough for today. Ask your kids or a family member to sit with you while you make it.

It tells the VA you plan to apply. Once it's in, you have one year to finish your application, and your payments can count back to that date. See the VA's instructions.

Not by itself. Starting the online DIC application does not automatically create an intent to file. Ask about it separately.

Back pay, or retro pay, is the money owed for the months before your claim was approved. How far back it goes depends on when you apply:

• Within one year of his death: payments can go back to the month he died.
• More than a year after: payments start from when you apply, or from your intent to file date if you filed one first.

So waiting doesn't cost you the benefit. It costs you months of back pay. That's why it's worth starting now.

Separate from DIC: if the VA owed him money he never received before he died, the family may be able to claim it. That claim generally must reach the VA within one year of death. Ask your veterans officer.

Before you order one, check these. Many families find it here first:

• Your home: with funeral, marriage, insurance or tax papers
• Your town, city or county veterans officer. Many veterans filed a copy locally after they came home.
• Your town or county clerk's office. Some veterans recorded it there.
• The funeral home or cemetery, if he had military honors or a veterans burial
• The VA, if he ever had a VA claim or used VA health care

As his next of kin, you can order a free copy from the National Archives, online or by mail. Your veterans officer can also order it for you.

Records less than 62 years old are generally free for next of kin. Older records can have a copying fee. If you have remarried, ask your veterans officer about your access first.

Be ready to wait. A free copy can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Older records, and records damaged in a 1973 fire at the records center, can take longer.

Ways to avoid the wait:

• Check the places above first.
• Tell them it's for a VA survivor claim. The National Archives can speed up requests for VA claims and funerals.
• Ask the VA to request it. The VA can pull his records itself when it processes your claim.
• Don't wait to get started. File your intent to file in step 3 while the papers are on the way.

Yes, with a caution. The National Archives keeps a list of independent researchers in St. Louis, where the records are kept. They charge a fee and can pull records in person.

For many Vietnam era records, a researcher still needs your signed permission and may not be able to beat the normal wait. Ask what they can do and how fast before you pay. Be careful with websites that charge to "order your DD214." Many just send the same free request for you.

Order one from the city or town where he died, or from your state's vital records office. The funeral home may also have copies.

Write down where he was treated: doctors, hospitals, VA clinics. If you tell the VA where he was seen, they can help request the records.

Another doctor can review his records and write an opinion. The VA may also have its own doctor review them.

Sometimes the VA asks for medical records or other evidence. Your veterans officer will tell you. Keep your originals and send copies.

• Online at VA.gov, using the button above
• Ask your veterans officer for a printed copy. They can fill it out with you and send it.
• Visit a VA regional office and apply in person
• Print it from the paper form link above and mail it. The address is in the form's instructions.

The first pages are instructions. The application comes after. Leave anything blank that doesn't apply to you. If you don't know an answer, ask your veterans officer before sending it.

Use the Share button to save the PDF to Files, then open the saved copy. Tap a box to type. If that doesn't work, use Markup to add text, or ask someone to print it for you.

Download it and open it in Preview. Click a box to type. Save a copy, then reopen it to check your answers saved.

Download it and open the saved copy in Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free. Don't fill it out inside the web browser. Save, then reopen to check your answers saved.

The VA reviews your claim and may ask for more information. If you don't hear back, your veterans officer can check on it for you.

Only to the VA, through the official site, by mail, or with your representative. Never send personal documents to The Fire Swept Trail.