Veterans
Benefits
Reimbursement
of Burial Expenses
VA will pay a burial allowance up to $1,500 if the veteran's death is service
connected. VA also will pay the cost of transporting the remains of a
service-disabled veteran to the national cemetery nearest the home of a
deceased that has available gravesites. In such cases, the person who bore the
veteran's burial expenses may claim reimbursement from VA. VA will pay a $300
burial and funeral expense allowance for veterans who, at time of death, were
entitled to receive pension or compensation or would have been entitled to
compensation but for receipt of military retirement pay. Eligibility also is
established when death occurs in a VA facility or a nursing home with which VA
contracted. Additional costs of transportation of the remains may be
reimbursed. There is no time limit for filing reimbursement claims of
service-connected deaths. In other deaths, claims must be filed within two
years after permanent burial or cremation.
VA will pay a $150 plot allowance when the veteran is not buried in a cemetery
that is under U.S. Government jurisdiction if the veteran is discharged from
active duty because of disability incurred or aggravated in line of duty, if
the veteran was in receipt of compensation or pension or would have been in
receipt of compensation but for receipt of military retired pay, or if the
veteran died while hospitalized by VA. The plot allowance is not payable solely
on wartime service.
If the veteran is buried without charge for the cost of a plot or interment in
a state-owned cemetery reserved solely for veteran burials, the $150 plot
allowance may be paid to the state. Burial expenses paid by the deceased's
employer or a state agency will not be reimbursed.
Burial Flags
VA
provides an American flag to drape the casket of a veteran and to a person
entitled to retired military pay. After the funeral service, the flag may be
given to the next of kin or a close associate. VA also will issue a flag on
behalf of a service member who was missing in action and later presumed dead.
Flags are issued at VA regional offices, national cemeteries, and post offices.
Burial in National
Cemeteries VA Cemeteries
Burial benefits in a VA national cemetery include the gravesite, opening and
closing of the grave, and perpetual care. Many national cemeteries have
columbaria for the inurnment of cremated remains or special gravesites for the
burial of cremated remains. Headstones and markers and their placement are
provided at the government's expense.
Veterans
and armed forces members who die on active duty are eligible for burial in one
of VA's 114 national cemeteries. An eligible veteran must have been discharged
or separated from active duty under honorable or general conditions and have
completed the required period of service. Persons entitled to retired pay as a
result of 20 years creditable service with a reserve component are eligible. A
U.S. citizen who served in the armed forces of a government allied with the
United States in a war also may be eligible.
Spouses and minor children of eligible veterans and of armed forces members
also may be buried in a national cemetery. A surviving spouse of an eligible
veteran who married a non-veteran, and whose remarriage was terminated by death
or divorce, is eligible for burial in a national cemetery.
Gravesites in national cemeteries cannot be reserved. Funeral directors or
others making burial arrangements must apply at the time of death. Reservations
made under previous programs are honored. The National Cemetery System normally
does not conduct burials on weekends. A weekend caller, however, will be
directed to one of three strategically located VA cemetery offices that remain
open during weekends to schedule burials at the cemetery of the caller's choice
during the following week.
Headstones and Markers
VA provides
headstones and markers for the unmarked graves of veterans anywhere in the
world and for eligible dependents of veterans buried in national, state veteran
or military cemeteries.
Flat bronze, flat granite, flat marble, upright granite and upright marble
types are available to mark the grave in a style consistent with the place of
burial. Niche markers also are available to mark columbaria used for inurnment
of cremated remains.
Headstones and markers are inscribed with the name of the deceased, the years
of birth and death, and branch of service. Optional items that also may be
inscribed at VA expense are: military grade, rank or rate; war service such as
World War II; months and days of birth and death; an emblem reflecting one's
beliefs; valor awards; and the Purple Heart. Additional items may be inscribed
at private expense.
When burial is in a national, state veteran or military cemetery, the headstone
marker is ordered through the cemetery, inscription, shipping and placement can
be obtained from the cemetery.
When burial occurs in a cemetery other than a national, military post or state
veterans cemetery, the headstone marker must be applied for from VA. It is
shipped at government expense. VA, however, does not pay the cost of placing
the headstone or marker on the grave. To apply, you must complete VA form
40-1330 and forward it to Director, Office of Memorial Programs (403A),
National Cemetery System, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC 20420.
Forms and assistance are available at VA application you may call the Director,
Office of Memorial Programs at 1-800-697-6947.
VA cannot issue a headstone or marker for a spouse or child buried in a private
cemetery. Twenty year reservists without active duty service are eligible for a
headstone or marker, if they are entitled to military retired pay at the time
of death.
Headstones or Markers
for Memorial Plots
To memorialize an eligible veteran whose remains are not available for burial,
VA will provide a plot and headstone or marker in a national cemetery. The
headstone or marker is the same as that used to identify a grave except that
the mandatory phrase "In Memory of" precedes the authorized
inscription. The headstone or marker is available to memorialize eligible
veterans or deceased active-duty members whose remains were not recovered or
identified, were buried at sea, donated to science, or cremated and scattered.
The memorial marker may be provided for placement in a cemetery other than a
national cemetery. In such a case, VA supplies the marker and pays the cost of
shipping, but does not pay for the plot or the placement of the marker. Only a
relative recognized as the next of kin may apply for the benefit.
Presidential Memorial
Certificates
The Presidential
Memorial Certificate is a parchment certificate with a calligraphic inscription
expressing the nation's recognition of the veteran's service. The veteran's
name is inscribed and the certificate bears the signature of the President.
Certificates are issued in the name of honorably discharged, deceased veterans.
Eligible recipients include next of kin, other relatives and friends. The award
of a certificate to one eligible recipient does not preclude certificates to other
eligible recipients. The veteran may have died at any time in the past. The
local VA regional office generally originates the application for a
Presidential Memorial Certificate. The next of kin also may request a
certificate. Requests should be accompanied by a copy of a document such as a
discharge to establish honorable service. VA regional offices can assist in
applying for certificates.
Headstone and
Gravemarker Program
Headstone and Gravemarker Program
1-800-697-6947
8:00am to 4:30pm Eastern Time
Government
Life Insurance Information
VA Insurance Center
1-800-669-8477
8:00am to 6:30pm Eastern Time