The Ultimate Guide to Veteran Burial & Memorial Benefits
As an honorably discharged member of the United States Armed Forces you are entitled to a number of benefits, including burial and memorial benefits for you and your spouse worth up to $7,000 per person.
Unfortunately, these benefits are not automatically applied and must be claimed by veterans and their families. Even more frustratingly, the process can be quite confusing, requiring lots of complicated forms and mind-numbing amounts of paperwork.
But worry not!
Planning Daisies can help connect you with our carefully-selected funeral home partners with staff who are experts in the veterans burial and memorial benefit claims process. These knowledgeable and friendly advanced planners are dedicated to helping veterans navigate the process, empowering them to take full advantage of their hard-earned benefits.
Your service and sacrifice on behalf of our country deserve lasting recognition that your loved ones will cherish forever. By learning about the available benefits and pre-planning today, you can create a memorial that will accurately reflect your life and your wishes, while simultaneously preventing confusion and emotional spending by friends and family. A win-win for everyone.
In this guide, we’ll first clear up common misconceptions about VA burial and memorial benefits and then walk you through the process of determining eligibility and understanding what options you have available to you.
Common Misconceptions about VA Burial & Memorial Benefits
To receive burial benefits, a veteran must be buried in a VA national cemetery. True or False?
False. Many veterans mistakenly believe that VA burial benefits are only applicable to those who wish to be buried in a VA national cemetery, when in reality, there are several benefits still available for those who wish to be buried in a private cemetery.
Veterans can reserve or claim specific plots in VA national cemeteries. True or False?
False. Unfortunately, specific plots in VA national cemeteries cannot be reserved or pre-selected. That said, pre-planning is still very important for those who wish to be buried at these facilities so that the cemetery can plan future land use.
When determining eligibility and claiming burial benefits, you can denote your desire to be buried in a specific VA national cemetery, you just can’t select the exact plot within that cemetery prior to burial.
VA-issued headstones are always upright markers made of marble. True or False?
False. When most people imagine a VA national cemetery, they think about the images of Arlington National Cemetery broadcast on the news around Memorial Day showing endless rows of upright, marble headstones. This often leads many to incorrectly believe this is the only official, VA-issued option.
In reality, the VA gives veterans several options for headstone, grave, or niche markers. Those who opt for burial are given the option of an upright headstone or flat marker, either of which can be made from granite or marble. For those who choose to have their cremation urn placed in a columbarium niche, a bronze plaque is provided.
It is important to note that some VA national cemeteries and private cemeteries have specific monument requirements that restrict which options are available.
VA-issued headstones don’t allow for any personalization or custom elements whatsoever. True or False?
False. While it is true that VA-issued headstones have a predetermined format and overall design, veterans do have the option to include inscriptions that show their highest attained rank, any awards received while in service, and their war service record.
Veterans are also permitted to select an emblem of belief from the VA’s list of approved Emblems of Belief for Placement on Government Headstones and Markers. They may also request to include inscriptions of nicknames, terms of endearment (e.g., “Loving Father”), and special unit identification, but these are all subject to case-by-case approval by the VA.
Veterans must opt for a traditional, casket burial to be buried in a VA national cemetery. True or False?
False. Veterans who wish to be cremated still retain the right to be buried at a veterans cemetery.
What you need to determine eligibility
Determining eligibility is the first step in claiming VA benefits. To do this, you will need your DD Form 214, also known as DD214 or Certificate of Release/Discharge from Active Duty.
If you have lost or misplaced this form, you can request a new one from the VA via their eBenefits web portal. You also have the option of requesting NA Form 13038 from the National Personnel Record Center (NPRC) of the National Archives, which is an approved substitute for form DD214.
Your DD214 is necessary because it serves as both a record of your service and the terms of your release from service, which are both necessary to determine what benefits you and your family are eligible for.
By working with one of our recommended funeral homes, you can get all of the most up-to-date versions of the necessary paperwork and determine your eligibility, streamlining the eligibility process.
Breakdown of Benefits
One of the most important decisions you need to make before further understanding your available benefits is whether you would like your final resting place to be at a private cemetery, mausoleum, or columbarium (above ground vault for cremation urns) OR a VA national cemetery or columbarium.
Burial in a VA national cemetery
If you wish to be buried in a VA national cemetery, you may be provided with the following burial benefits:
Opening and closing of the grave or placement in a columbarium niche
Government-furnished grave liner
Perpetual care of the gravesite
Headstone or grave marker with an inscription
Burial flag
Presidential Memorial Certificate
But what exactly do these benefits mean and entail?
Opening and closing of the grave or placement in a columbarium
This refers to the actual act of digging the gravesite and the subsequent burial of the casket or urn. Or — in the case of those who opt for a columbarium — the opening and sealing of the niche vault in which the cremation urn is placed.
Private cemeteries will charge anywhere between $350 and $1,000 for this service, meaning this benefit alone is quite valuable.
Government-furnished grave liner
Not to be confused with a casket, a grave liner is an outer burial container that houses the casket within the gravesite to protect both the casket from the elements and preserve the overall integrity of the earth around the gravesite by helping prevent erosion and cave-ins.
Depending on the cemetery, a grave liner may be required for casket burial or an optional add-on for those who desire an extra layer of protection around the casket. Grave liners (also known as burial vaults) can cost thousands of dollars on the private market, making this another incredibly valuable benefit.
Perpetual care of the gravesite
Ever seen a dilapidated old cemetery with knee-high weeds and crumbling headstones and then worried your plot may look like that one day?
Well, when you choose to be buried in a VA national cemetery, that’s never something you need to be concerned about. Why? Because all VA national cemeteries have dedicated endowment trusts that guarantee their care in perpetuity, ensuring they will never become derelict from neglect, and instead, are cared for with the respect and attention to detail that every veteran deserves.
Headstone or grave marker with inscription
All veterans buried in VA national cemeteries are provided with a grave marker or headstone made of either marble or granite with inscriptions denoting the veteran’s name, rank, branch of service, year of birth, and year of death, as well as optional information such as highest rank attained, service awards, and war service record.
Headstones and markers (often referred to as monuments) can cost upwards of $2,000 on the private market and also incur a setting fee at private cemeteries, further driving up the overall cost. Thankfully, when you choose to be buried at a VA national cemetery both the monument and its placement by cemetery staff are included as part of the burial benefit.
Burial flag
All veterans are provided with a U.S. flag that is to be draped over a casket or presented next to an urn during the veteran’s memorial service. Your family or next-of-kin is then allowed to retain the flag as a keepsake and memory of you and your service.
Presidential Memorial Certificate
As an honorably discharged veteran, you have the option to request a Presidential Memorial Certificate be provided to your family or next-of-kin. A Presidential Memorial Certificate is an engraved paper certificate of military service signed by the current president.
Burial in a private cemetery
As previously mentioned, you do not have to be buried in a VA national cemetery to receive burial and memorial benefits from the VA. Veterans can choose to be buried in a private cemetery and may still be provided:
Government headstone, marker, or medallion
Burial flag
Presidential Memorial Certificate
Burial allowances to reimburse funeral and burial costs
Government headstone, marker, or medallion
If you wish to be buried in a private cemetery, you can still request to be provided with a government-issued headstone or marker or a government-issued medallion that can be attached to your privately procured headstone or marker.
It is important to note that many private cemeteries have specific monument requirements that restrict which options are available or restrict certain options to certain sections of the cemetery. This is one of the many details the advanced planners at our partner funeral homes can help with during your consultation, so be sure to bring this up during your appointment if you have specific monument preferences.
Burial flag
Just like those who choose to be buried at a VA national cemetery, veterans who choose to be buried at private cemeteries are provided with a U.S. flag that is to be draped over a casket or presented next to an urn during the veteran’s memorial service. Your family or next-of-kin is then allowed to retain the flag as a keepsake and memory of you and your service.
Presidential Memorial Certificate
As an honorably discharged veteran, you have the option to request a Presidential Memorial Certificate be provided to your family or next-of-kin. A Presidential Memorial Certificate is an engraved paper certificate of military service signed by the current president.
Burial allowances to reimburse funeral and burial costs
The exact amount you and your family are eligible to be reimbursed for varies by exact circumstances, but most veterans are eligible to be reimbursed for the costs of burial and funeral service at a private cemetery, the cost of the gravesite or other internment space (e.g., columbarium niche), and the cost of transportation of remains to the final resting place.
It is important to note that you or your family will have to pay for these services upfront and will be reimbursed by the VA at a later date.
Conclusion
As you have learned, there are a myriad of valuable benefits offered to veterans of the United States Armed Forces that are administered and provided by the VA. While these benefits can provide significant peace of mind and overall value to veterans and their families, they can be difficult to access because the process for determining exactly what you and your family are eligible for is confusing and time-consuming.
By working with Planning Daisies you are connected with one of our carefully-selected funeral home partners with staff who are experts in the burial and memorial benefit claims process. These knowledgeable and friendly advance planners are dedicated to helping you successfully navigate the claims process and make sure you take full advantage of your hard-earned benefits.
It is wise to start working with a funeral home when you begin the claims process because they can help you understand the options you have available specific to your local community. Our partner homes have years of experience serving veterans and helping them access benefits, so they know all the most effective strategies for working with the VA and making sure nothing is missed.
Start the process and find your local funeral home partner.
Planning Daisies is not affiliated with the VA.
