Article Synopsis:

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA) honors Veterans and their families by providing dignified burial and memorial benefits and by preserving the legacy of their service. This article highlights common questions about VA burial and memorial benefits, including eligibility, burial options, and costs not covered by VA benefits, to help estate planning professionals create thoughtful end-of-life plans with their Veteran clients.

Introduction:

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA) honors Veterans and their families by ensuring they receive burial with respect and dignity at VA national cemeteries and VA grant-funded Veterans cemeteries. NCA also provides lasting tributes to the service and sacrifice of Veterans wherever they are buried. In collaboration with financial and estate planning professionals nationwide, NCA helps inform Veteran’s families of their earned benefits and helps to facilitate end-of-life planning.

Last year, NCA launched its first nationwide communication campaign, Plan Today, Honor Forever, designed to raise awareness of VA burial and memorial benefits and the importance of planning ahead for end-of-life decisions. This campaign includes the creation of a new Industry Professionals web page to support estate planning professionals.

For Veterans and their families who are planning ahead, it is important that they are aware of the burial and memorial benefits they have earned through military service and to ensure their eligibility for these benefits before they pass. To help demystify their end-of-life options, NCA is sharing some of the most common questions about VA burial and memorial benefits so estate planning professionals can help Veteran clients plan for the future with confidence.

What Burial and Memorial Benefits Are Available for Veterans?

Eligible Veterans have earned VA burial and memorial benefits at no cost for themselves, their spouses, and qualifying family members. Veteran burial benefits at a VA national cemetery include:

• Burial site
• Opening and closing of the grave, interment of a casket or urn
• Government headstone or marker
• Perpetual care of the burial site and cemetery grounds
• United States burial flag
• Presidential Memorial Certificates
• Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM) profile page
• Burial allowance for families
• Military funeral honors (provided by the military services)

All these benefits are also available at no cost for the Veteran at VA grant-funded cemeteries, but the same benefits may not always be available to their spouses and dependents in certain states, certain fees may apply, etc.

Who is Eligible for Burial in a VA National Cemetery?

Veterans, spouses, and qualifying family members (typically minor children and adult dependent children) are eligible to be buried in a VA national cemetery if the Veteran is eligible.

• Active-duty Veterans who did not receive a dishonorable or disqualifying discharge (Veterans who first entered service after September 7, 1980, must have served at least twenty-four continuous months)
• Members of the National Guard and the Reserves who completed a tour of federal active duty other than for training are eligible.
• Guard or Reserve members who were entitled to retirement pay at the time of death, or who would have been entitled to retirement pay but passed away before the age of sixty, are also eligible, as well as several other categories of service members.

The spouse of a Veteran does not need to be a Veteran themselves to qualify, and they are eligible even if they pass away before the Veteran. Veterans, spouses, and other eligible family members are typically interred in the same gravesite/columbarium niche, and their names are included on the same headstone or marker as the Veteran.

How Can Veteran Families Who Are Interested in Burial at a VA National Cemetery Plan Ahead?

Veterans and spouses who want to be buried in a VA national cemetery can apply to find out in advance if they are eligible by filling out the pre-need eligibility application. The application takes less than 10 minutes and can be submitted online, by mail, or by fax. They will receive a pre-need decision letter notifying them of their eligibility, which should be saved with their will and other end-of-life planning documents.

What Are the Burial Options at VA National Cemeteries and VA Grant-Funded Cemeteries?

There are more than 155 VA national cemeteries and more than 120 VA grant-funded state, tribal, and territory Veteran cemeteries in the U.S., offering a range of no-cost burial options depending on cemetery location.

Burial options may include:

• In-ground burial of a casket or urn
• Placement of cremated remains in a columbarium niche or scattering garden.
• Placement of an “In Memory Of” headstone, marker or plaque for eligible Veterans whose remains have not been recovered or identified, were buried at sea, donated to science, or cremated and the remains scattered.

Can Veterans Reserve a Burial Space in Advance at a VA National Cemetery?

No, Veterans are unable to reserve a burial space in advance at a VA national cemetery. Burial sites are assigned at the time of death. However, Veteran families can explore VA national cemetery and VA grant-funded cemetery locations on NCA’s Find a Cemetery web page.

What VA Memorial Benefits Are Available for Veterans Choosing Burial at a Private Cemetery?

Many Veterans and families choose burial outside of a VA national or VA grant-funded cemetery for personal reasons. These private cemetery options could include religious cemeteries, municipal or county cemeteries, or family cemeteries. No-cost benefits for Veterans at a private cemetery include:

• Government headstone, marker, or medallion (installation costs not included)
• Memorial headstone or marker (if remains are scattered or buried at sea)
• United States burial flag
• Presidential Memorial Certificates
• Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM) profile page (available for Veterans whose families also requested a government headstone, marker, or medallion)
• Military funeral honors (provided by the military services)

A Veteran’s spouse or dependent children are not eligible for their own government headstone or marker for placement at a private cemetery. However, certain identifying information about the spouse or child can be added to the Veteran’s marker if the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2019.

What Memorial Benefits are Available if the Veteran’s Remains are Cremated and Not Interred?

The VA offers a commemorative urn and a commemorative plaque to honor the service of a Veteran whose cremated remains have not been interred. A commemorative urn is used to hold the cremated remains of a Veteran, and a commemorative plaque is designed to hang on a wall. Families may request either the urn or the plaque to honor the Veteran’s service according to their preference.

It is important to note that if a family chooses an urn or a plaque to commemorate a Veteran, the VA is prohibited by law from interring a Veteran’s remains in a VA national cemetery or from providing a headstone, marker, or medallion for placement in any cemetery. Families should be certain of their choice. If the family chooses to receive an urn or a plaque to commemorate their Veteran, their decision cannot be undone. The law does not provide a method to restore these benefits.

What Costs Are Not Covered by the VA?

While VA burial and memorial benefits can save Veteran families thousands of dollars, there are some additional end-of-life costs to consider when planning ahead.

Funeral items not covered by VA burial benefits include:

• Funeral home services and preparation
• Casket or urn
• Cremation or burial preparation
• Transportation to the funeral home and cemetery

According to the National Funeral Directors Association’s 2023 Member General Price List Study, the national median cost of a funeral with burial was $8,300 while the median cost of a funeral with cremation was $6,280.

Can Veteran Families Get Help Paying for Funeral and Burial Expenses?

Family members of a Veteran who had a service-connected disability may also be eligible for burial allowance and transportation reimbursement to help cover some of the costs of the Veteran’s burial, funeral, plot or interment, and transportation costs.

What Documentation Should Veteran Families Keep Readily Accessible?

The NCA recommends Veteran families keep relevant documentation on hand to prevent delays and reduce the family’s stress at a difficult time. Veteran families should consider saving the following with their will and estate plans:

• DD214 or discharge papers
• Marriage certificate
• VA disability rating decision (if applicable)
• Pre-need eligibility decision letter
• Funeral wishes directive
• Contact information for the VA National Cemetery Scheduling Office (800-535-1117)

It is important to know, however, that families should not hesitate to call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office even if they lack military discharge information. The VA will work with the National Archives to find this information for the family.

What Can Estate Planning Professionals Do to Help Inform Veterans About the Benefits they Have Earned?

Estate planning professionals play an important role in helping Veteran families understand and take full advantage of their earned benefits. Burial and memorial benefits are among the least known and least used benefits provided to those who have served. They can save families thousands of dollars while providing both Veteran and spouse with dignified burial services, and final resting places that commemorate their service and sacrifice. By knowing their burial options in advance, Veteran families can make informed decisions with confidence and peace of mind.

The NCA has launched the Plan Today, Honor Forever Industry Professionals web page to support these efforts. It serves as a centralized hub of resources specifically designed for end-of-life planning professionals to find downloadable brochures, videos, and step-by-step guidance. These tools can help estate planning professionals educate their Veteran clients on VA burial and memorial benefits, complete the pre-need eligibility application, and assist them in creating thoughtful end-of-life plans.

Narrative Biography:

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration (NCA) honors eligible Veterans, active-duty service members, and eligible family members with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service and sacrifice to our nation.

NCA Website: https://www.cem.va.gov/