If your loved one was in the military, you might be able to get burial allowances if you’re paying for the burial and funeral costs and if any of the below relationships or professional roles describe your connection to the veteran. You must be either:
The veteran’s surviving spouse (including same-sex marriages)
A surviving child of the veteran
A parent of the veteran
The executor or administrator of the veteran’s estate (someone who officially represents the veteran)
A family member or friend who isn’t the executor of the Veteran’s estate
A representative from a funeral home, cemetery, or other organization
To get this benefit, the veteran must not have received a dishonorable discharge, and one of the below circumstances must be true of the veteran. They:
Died as a result of a service-connected disability (a disability related to service) or
Died while getting VA care, either at a VA facility or at a facility contracted by VA or
Died while traveling with proper authorization, and at VA’s expense, either to or from a facility for an examination, or to receive treatment or care or
Died with an original or reopened claim for VA compensation or pension pending at the time of death, and they would’ve been entitled to benefits before the time of death or
Died while receiving a VA pension or compensation or
Died while eligible for compensation or a VA pension at their time of death, but instead received full military retirement or disability pay
Or:
Had been getting a VA pension or compensation when they died or
Had chosen to get military retired pay instead of compensation
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs also provides an allowance for the cost of transporting a veteran’s remains for burial in a national cemetery.
Note: You cannot receive burial allowances if the individual died in any of these ways:
On active duty or
While serving as a member of Congress or
While serving a federal prison sentence
Filing a claim and benefits
You must file a claim for a non-service-connected burial allowance within two years after the veteran’s burial or cremation. If a veteran’s discharge was changed from dishonorable to another status after death, you must file for an allowance claim within two years after the discharge update.
There’s no time limit to file for a service-connected burial, plot or interment allowance.
Benefits include an allowance for:
Burial and funeral costs
The plot or interment, including headstone
Transporting the veteran’s remains to the final resting place
Burial benefits apply to all legal burial types, including cremation and burial at sea. Benefits also apply for donating the Veteran’s remains to a medical school.
Necessary documents
You may need to provide copies of these documents:
The Veteran’s death certificate including the cause of death
An itemized receipt for transportation costs (only if you paid transportation costs for the Veteran’s remains)
It is additionally recommended that those filing the documents provide a copy of the Veteran’s DD214 or other separation documents, including all of their service periods. If you do not have these documents, you may request them.
