Frequently Asked Questions About VA Burial Benefits

Any honorably discharged veteran may be eligible for certain service, recognition or monetary benefits through the VA. However, full reimbursement for funeral or cremation service expenses is usually extended only to veterans who:

• Suffered a service-related disability that contributed to their death
• Were receiving a VA pension or other compensation when they died or were entitled to receive one
• Died while receiving care at a VA hospital or a non-VA hospital under contract

Depending on eligibility, some benefits may be available to a veteran’s family after the veteran's death. These include:

• A VA burial allowance to help pay for burial, funeral or related transportation costs for a veteran’s surviving spouse, legal partner, dependent child or parent
• A monthly VA survivors pension for the spouse and dependent children of a veteran who served during wartime and who meets certain income requirements
• The VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation may be available to spouses, dependents and parents of veterans who died in the line of duty or from a service-related death

If you need a copy of your discharge paperwork, contact the National Archives or complete Standard Form 180 (SF180), Request Pertaining to Military Records, which can be found in our Veterans Planning Guide.

Every honorably discharged veteran is entitled to military funeral honors. This includes:

• An honor guard of at least two service members, one of whom must be from the veteran’s own service branch
• The folding and presentation of the flag to next of kin
• The playing of "Taps" by either a live bugler or a dignified recording

If a veteran was dishonorably discharged, he or she may not be eligible for military funeral honors. Veterans who have been convicted of a capital offense and sentenced to death or life without parole are also ineligible.

No, not all veterans are eligible for VA burial benefits. Benefits don't cover all funeral or cremation arrangements of honorably discharged veterans. Certain monetary, recognition and service benefits may be available. However, reimbursement for funeral or cremation service expenses is limited and usually applies only when:

• The veteran died because of a service-related disability
• The veteran was receiving or was entitled to receive a VA pension or compensation at the time of death
• The veteran died while hospitalized by VA or while receiving care under contract at a non-VA facility

Some veterans are ineligible for military burial benefits. Veterans aren’t eligible for VA burial benefits if they were:

• Dishonorably discharged
• On active duty at the time of their death
• Serving in Congress at the time of their death
• Serving a federal sentence at the time of their death or sentenced to life in prison or capital punishment

Depending on eligibility, VA burial benefits may help cover three types of expenses:

• Burial and funeral costs
• Gravesite or interment costs
• Transportation costs

Burial and funeral costs include traditional interment, cremation, burial at sea or medical school donation, and any other legal method of laying a person to rest.

Gravesite or interment costs can include the purchase of a final resting place, such as a grave, mausoleum vault or columbarium niche, as well as any costs associated with placing a casket in the ground or placing ashes into a columbarium niche.

Burial in a VA national cemetery includes:

• An assigned gravesite (if space is available)
• Opening and closing of the grave
• A grave liner for the casket
• A government headstone or marker
• Perpetual care

The ashes of a cremated veteran or family members are buried or placed in VA national cemeteries in the same manner and with the same honors as a casket.

Transportation costs include the cost of moving a veteran to his or her final resting place. VA may pay transportation benefits when one of the following requirements are met:

• The veteran passed away while in a VA hospital
• The veteran was receiving disability compensation, pension or military retirement at the time of death
• The veteran's remains are unclaimed
• A service-connected burial allowance is granted and the burial is in a national or covered veterans cemetery

Benefits don’t cover these costs directly or in full. For eligible veterans, burial allowances provide set rates for each type of benefit.

The VA burial allowance may be applied to either a traditional burial or cremation. It may also be applied to the cost of burial at sea.

Keep in mind that reimbursement for funeral or cremation service expenses is limited and usually applies only when:

• The veteran died because of a service-related disability
• The veteran was receiving or was entitled to receive a VA pension or compensation at the time of death
• The veteran died while hospitalized by VA or while receiving care under contract at a non-VA facility

Veterans buried in private cemeteries may be eligible to receive a partial reimbursement for their burial costs. If a death is service-related, benefits may be paid for burial expenses. In order to receive burial and funeral benefits, as well as plot allowances, at least one of the above situations must apply.

Final amounts will be determined by eligibility and are at the discretion of the VA.

The cost of a casket is covered by the VA only if a service member dies on active duty.

Thanks to relationships with American Legion departments in certain states and nationally with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Dignity Memorial providers can offer discounts on funeral services and merchandise—including caskets—to members.

Individuals may qualify for burial in a veterans cemetery if they are:

• A veteran without a dishonorable discharge
• A service member who died during active duty, active duty for training or inactive duty for training
• The spouse of a veteran, including spouses who remarry after the veteran’s death
• The minor child of a veteran
• The adult dependent child of a veteran in certain instances

With some exceptions, specific groups may also be eligible for burial in a veterans cemetery, including:

• National Guard or Reserve members
• Members of the Merchant Marines who served during World War II
• Members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps
• Members of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service
• Veterans of the Philippine Armed Forces living lawfully in the U.S. at the time of their death
• Hmong veterans living lawfully in the U.S. at the time of their death
• U.S. citizens who served in the armed forces of U.S. allies during wartime

If you have a dishonorable discharge, you may be eligible for a discharge upgrade if you can document the discharge was due to the following:

• A mental health condition, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• A traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Sexual assault or harassment experienced during military service (referred to by the VA as military sexual trauma)
• Sexual orientation (even if it occurred when the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy was in place)

If you wish to be buried in a veterans cemetery, confirm your eligibility. You can apply for pre-need eligibility online or complete VA Form 40-10007 (Application for Pre-Need Determination of Eligibility for Burial in a VA National Cemetery) and submit it by mail.

VA burial allowances may help pay for some of the cost of a veteran’s burial in a private cemetery for eligible veterans. However, not all veterans are eligible for burial allowances.

Burial allowances may help pay for a cemetery plot, cemetery charges, funeral charges or transportation to the veteran's final resting place. Keep in mind there are often additional associated burial costs at private cemeteries.

Most veterans are eligible for some burial benefits, regardless of where they are laid to rest. These benefits include:

• A headstone or grave marker
• Military funeral honors
• A U.S. flag (which is draped over a casket or accompanies an urn)
• A Presidential Memorial Certificate

For eligible veterans, the VA burial allowance helps cover the cost of a gravesite, interment and transport of a veteran to his or her chosen cemetery.

The allowance amount for each of these depends on three factors:

• The date of the veteran’s death
• Whether the death was service-related
• Whether the veteran was hospitalized at a VA hospital or a hospital under a VA contract at the time of death

Service-related deaths

Veterans whose deaths were service related and happened on or after September 11, 2001, may receive up to $2,000 for burial expenses. For veterans buried in a VA national cemetery, some or all of the transportation cost may also be reimbursed.

If veterans choose not to be buried in a VA national cemetery, monetary burial benefits are limited. Veterans buried in a private cemetery may be eligible to receive a partial reimbursement for their burial costs.

Non-service-related deaths

For non-service-related deaths that occurred on or after October 1, 2023, $948 may be issued for a burial allowance and $948 may be issued for a plot.

For non-service-related deaths that occurred while hospitalized by VA on or after October 1, 2023, $948 may be issued for a burial allowance and $948 may be issued for a plot.

Headstone or marker allowance

Up to $231 may be issued for a headstone or marker for veteran deaths that occurred on or after October 1, 2021, regardless of whether the death was service related.

You can see a full list of burial allowance amounts on the VA website.

Spouses who meet certain eligibility requirements may be eligible to receive certain burial benefits. They must have been the spouse of the veteran at the veteran’s time of death (their marriage cannot have ended in annulment or divorce). If they end up remarrying after the veteran passes away, they are still eligible.

Burial benefits for a spouse buried at a national cemetery include, at no cost to the family:

• Their burial with the veteran
• Their name inscribed on the veteran’s headstone
• Their birth and death dates inscribed on the veteran’s headstone
• Perpetual care

The spouse of a veteran may qualify for burial in a veterans cemetery, even if the spouse dies before the veteran or remarries after the veteran’s death.

The answer is generally yes, as long as the spouse is buried in a national cemetery, veterans cemetery or military cemetery. Spouses who are buried in private cemeteries are not eligible for headstones. Often, a veteran and their spouse will have one dedicated gravesite with both spouses’ names and birth and death dates inscribed on the headstone. Spouses who are both veterans may request separate gravesites and headstones side by side.

Yes, planning ahead makes your preferences known and eases the stress on family members who won't need to guess what you wanted, gather documentation in a time of stress or find money to cover funeral, cremation or burial costs that aren't covered by veterans benefits.

One way to get started is to confirm that you’re eligible for burial in a national cemetery. You can apply online for pre-need eligibility, or you can complete VA Form 40-10007 (Application for Pre-Need Determination of Eligibility for Burial in a VA National Cemetery) and submit it by mail. You’ll receive a pre-need decision letter that will stay valid even if eligibility requirements change in the future.

By confirming your eligibility before the time comes, you’ll be able to make more informed decisions about your arrangements and facilitate a smoother process for your family. With pre-planning and confirming your eligibility in advance, requesting funeral honors and burial benefits won’t involve the added administrative step of determining eligibility, providing a bit more peace of mind to your loved ones during an emotional time.

*Dignity Memorial providers are not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For additional information regarding the above questions, for answers to questions that are not addressed above or to verify eligibility for VA benefits, we encourage you to reach out directly to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.