Certain benefits are available to assist with the burial expenses of deceased veterans. Eligibility is established if the veteran was entitled at the time of death to pension or compensation (or but for the receipt of military retired pay would have been entitled to compensation). Eligibility is also established if the veteran died while hospitalized or domiciled in a VA facility or other facility at VA expense.
Flag. A flag of the United States may be furnished by the VA to drape the casket or to be folded and placed next to the casket of a deceased veteran discharged under other than dishonorable conditions.
National Cemetery Burial. Veterans of all wars, peacetime service, and certain members or their families are eligible.
Grave Marker or Headstone. The VA will furnish a headstone or marker without charge for the unmarked grave of a veteran who was separated from military service under conditions other than dishonorable or a person who died on active duty. Note: There may be an installation charge or other charges from the cemetery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Who is eligible to receive veteran’s burial benefits?
The Veterans Administration will pay a $300 burial and funeral expense allowance for deceased veterans who were, at the time of death, entitled to receive pension or compensation, or would have been entitled to receive compensation but for the receipt of military retired pay.
Eligibility is also established when death occurs in a VA facility or in a contract nursing home to which the deceased was properly admitted.
For veterans who die of a service connected disability, the VA will pay a burial allowance up to $2,000 in lieu of other burial benefits.
Q. Who is eligible to receive a burial flag?
The VA will issue an American flag to drape the casket of an eligible veteran who was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. They will also issue a flag for a veteran who is missing in action and is later presumed dead.
Q. What happens to the flag after the funeral service?
After the funeral service, the flag may be given to the next of kin or a close friend or associate of the deceased.
Q. Will the Veterans Administration provide a headstone or marker?
The VA will furnish, upon request, at no charge to the applicant, a government monument to mark the grave of an eligible veteran buried in a national, military post or base, state veterans’, or private cemetery.
For further information contact the nearest VA Regional Office or write the Director, Office of Memorial Programs (403), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washing, DC 20420-0001. Or you may telephone the Applicant Assistance Division at 1-800-697-6947
