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 nonveteran, and whose remarriage was teminated
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 on eof 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