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Reimbursement of Burial
Expenses
| VA will pay a burial allowance up to $2,000 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 $300 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 $300 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 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.
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