TAPS — Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
When the worst has already happened, this is the door. TAPS provides care to all those grieving the death of a military or veteran loved one — regardless of the service member's duty status at death, the survivor's relationship, or the circumstances or geography of the death. No membership. No cost. No deadline by which grief must arrive.
- Founded: 1994, by Bonnie Carroll, after the 1992 death of her husband, Brigadier General Tom Carroll, and seven fellow soldiers in an Alaska plane crash
- Status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit (no congressional charter; TAPS states it receives no government grants or funding)
- Headquarters: Arlington, Virginia
- Reach: “more than 120,000 bereaved military survivors” supported since founding (TAPS’s own figure); in 2024 alone, 8,911 newly bereaved survivors connected — an average of 24 a day
- 24/7 National Military Survivor Helpline: 800-959-TAPS (8277)
- Website: taps.org
Who it serves
Everyone grieving a military or veteran death: spouses, partners, children, parents, siblings, extended family, friends, colleagues, battle buddies. You do not need to be legal next of kin. That expressly includes suicide loss — the VA’s own guidance confirms TAPS welcomes anyone grieving a service member or veteran who died by suicide. Services are free and carry no time limit since the death.
What it does
- Peer-based emotional support — trained peer mentors who have lived the same loss.
- Casework — help identifying and applying for what a survivor is owed, including inside the VA: education, burial, benefits and entitlements, grief counseling, survivor assistance (a formal TAPS–VA partnership since 2014).
- The 24/7 helpline (above) — trained professionals, around the clock.
- Seminars and camps — the National Military Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp for children; grief seminars and retreats for adults; the TAPS Institute for Hope and Healing.
- Standing programs including Men’s Program, Young Adults, Suicide Loss Support, TAPS Togethers, and local Care Groups.
How a family uses it
- Call 800-959-TAPS (8277) — any hour, any day. That is the front door; no registration or membership comes first.
- Programs: info@taps.org · taps.org/programs.
A directory like this one mostly routes families to fights still in progress. TAPS is the page for the family whose fight has ended the hard way — including the widows and widowers the VA’s own paperwork sometimes forgets first.
Facts on this page are drawn from TAPS's own published materials (taps.org) and the VA's published TAPS guidance, checked October 2026. Corrections: care@bowmanwebservices.com.