If death occurs in service, the SPVA will automatically consider any survivors benefits you may be entitled to without the need to submit a claim form.  We will send you a form to gather relevant information.

If death occurs in retirement, a claim form must be submitted.  If you think the cause of death was service prior to 6 April 2005 you should complete WPA0004WWP – a claim for a War Widow(er)’s Pension.  If you think the cause of death arose on or after 6 April 2005 you should complete form AFCS02 – a claim under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS).  The claim form should be signed and dated by the claimant, or by someone authorised to do so on their behalf.

Claims for child dependents only

Where the claim is only for child dependants, form AFCS02 can also be used where you think the cause of death was service on or after 6 April 2005.

However, if you think the cause of death was service prior to 6 April 2005 you should complete form WPA0011A if there is no claim to War Widows or Widowers Pension, WPA0011 if both parents have died or WPA0007 if the child in incapable of self-support due to a condition arising before they were 16 years old.

Time Limits

There are time limits for making a claim under AFCS, i.e. where the cause of death is on or after 6 April 2005. These are that:

• All claims must be made within 3 years of the date of death.

• Where death occurs after leaving the Armed Forces, death must have occurred within 7 years of leaving for a claim to be made.  This time limit does not apply where the cause of death is an injury/illness for which an AFCS injury payment has been made at tariff levels 1 to 9

In some exceptional circumstances, the time limits may be extended relating to the late onset or diagnosis of an illness which led to death or where a claimant was physically or mentally incapable of making a claim or instructing some one else to make a claim on his or her behalf.