Burial Allowances
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 $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 US 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.