Whenever I read Matthiessen the naturalist, I am reminded of a film clip I once saw of him trying to catch a snake in the wild.
This webpage only addresses apportionment of incarcerated veterans' benefits, which is the VA's process of taking all or some of a veteran's benefits that would otherwise be reduced or suspended due to incarceration and instead paying those benefits to the veteran's eligible dependents based on their demonstrated financial need.
This benefit is only payable to surviving spouses of veterans who were receiving VA compensation or pension benefits at the time of their death. Because VA does not always know if a veteran is survived by a spouse, some surviving spouses have not received the month-of-death benefit to which they are entitled. If you are a surviving spouse of a veteran who was receiving VA benefits at the time of death and believe you may be eligible for the month-of-death benefit, please click here and provide the information requested. VA will determine your eligibility.