Got a question that maybe someone here can answer
 

My dad was in the Navy back in the early 40s. When he passed away in 99, mom's check stopped and she started getting his money. She passed away in 14 so who gets it now? I keep hearing ppl saying that I should be getting it but I don't know anything about this stuff. Does anyone know how it really works?

You'd have to check with the VA and Social Security.
Most of the time, there's only a Survivor clause for the spouse and payment ceases upon the passing of the last survivor.
Another one you can check with is the Lawyer, that handled the probate.

If your dad had the SBP (Survivor Benefit Plan), he'd have to designate the "survivior" - if your mom got the money, well, she was the survivor. She couldn't "reassign" the survivor, so once she passed, the payments stopped. SBP is pretty "modern," coming about in the late 60s, I believe. Election and assignment of survivor is made at retirement or transfer to the Fleet Reserve.

If it was Social Security death benefits, again, only surviving spouses and minor children receive that - so if you are of majority age, no payment.

If it was a retirement annuity, you'll have to ask the financial institution that holds/held the annuity.

Any VA Disabled Vet payments to spouses or dependents would have also ended with the death of the spouse and children reaching the majority age.

My experience is based on the following:

I draw both Navy retirement (22 yrs, E-9) and have SBP, so I speak from experience. I have step kids that drew SSI (Social Security Death Benefits) from their dead father, so again, from experience. It went away at 18 or when they graduated high school - different for each kid.

As to my VA payment, I'm not rated high enough to bring Spouse and Dependent benefits into play - typically this is paid to augment the income of a disabled vet that cannot work (~100% disability)

So to cover all the above, I have a huge life insurance policy to cover my loved ones should I die. They may choose to put it in an annuity or do the lump sum - their choice.

Yeah........I never expected anything, especially now that I'm in my 40s. I always figured it was a spouse thing but ppl keep bringing it up that maybe I'm supposed to get money because he was in the Navy. Besides, it was a long time ago.