VA Burial Allowances

There are four burial benefits that can be obtained from the U.S. Government.

• Burial Allowances
• Burial Flag
• Headstone, Marker or Medallion
• Presidential Memorial Certificate

 

Burial

If you choose not to have the burial in a VA National Cemetery, burial benefits are limited.

Veterans buried in a private cemetery may be eligible to receive a partial reimbursement for their burial costs. For non-service related deaths, a burial expense allowance of a maximum of $300 and a plot allowance of a maximum of $300 may be given. The term “plot” refers to the place of final disposition of the remains and can mean a grave, mausoleum, niche, etc.

If the death is service related, a maximum of $2,000 may be paid.

 

You may be eligible for a VA burial allowance if:

 

  • You paid for a veteran’s burial or funeral, and you have not been reimbursed by another government agency or some other source, such as the deceased veteran’s employer,

  • and the veteran was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.

And one of the following conditions must be met:

 

  • The veteran died because of a service-related disability.
  • The veteran was receiving VA pension or compensation at the time of death.
  • The veteran was entitled to receive VA pension or compensation, but decided not to reduce his/her military retirement or disability pay.
  • The veteran died while hospitalized by VA, or while receiving care under VA contract at a non-VA facility.
  • The veteran died while traveling under proper authorization and at the expense of the VA to or from a medical facility.
  • The veteran had an original or reopened claim pending at the time of death and has been found to be entitled to compensation or pension from a date prior to the date or death.
  • The veteran died on or after October 9, 1996, while a patient at a VA-approved state nursing home.

 

Burial Flags

 

A United States flag is provided, at no cost to the family, to drape the casket or accompany the urn of a deceased Veteran who served honorably in the U. S. Armed Forces.

 

It is furnished to honor the memory of a Veteran’s military service to his or her country.

 

Only the widow, widower, child or parent of the deceased will receive the flag. Only one flag per veteran will be provided.

 


Headstone Marker or Medallions

 

The VA furnishes upon request, at no charge to the family, a Government headstone or marker for the unmarked grave of any deceased eligible veteran in any cemetery around the world, regardless of their date of death.

 

For eligible veterans that died on or after Nov. 1, 1990 and whose grave is marked with a privately purchased headstone, The VA may also furnish a headstone or marker to supplement the graves or a Medallion (available by June 30, 2010) to be affixed to the privately purchased headstone.

 

Flat markers in granite, marble, and bronze and upright headstones in granite and marble are available. Bronze niche markers are also available to mark columbaria used for internment of cremated remains. The style chosen must be permitted by the officials in charge of the private cemetery where it will be placed.

 

When burial or memorialization is in a national cemetery, state veterans’ cemetery, or military post/base cemetery, a headstone or marker will be ordered by the cemetery officials based on inscription information provided by the family.

 

Spouses and dependents are not eligible for a Government-furnished headstone or marker unless they are buried in a national cemetery, state veteran’s cemetery, or military post/base cemetery.

 

Even though the headstone, marker or medallion is free of charge, the arrangements for placing it in a private cemetery are the applicant’s responsibility

.

 

Presidential Memorial Certificates

 

A Presidential Memorial Certificate is an engraved paper certificate, signed by the current President, to honor the memory of honorably discharged deceased veterans.

 

The VA administers the Presidential Memorial Certificates program by preparing the certificates which bear the current President’s signature expressing the country’s grateful recognition of the veteran’s service.

 

Who is eligible to receive a certificate?

Eligible recipients include the next of kin and loved ones of honorably discharged deceased Veterans. More than one certificate may be provided.