Understanding VA Burial Benefits for Veterans & Spouses

American Legion Post 108 had the privilege of participating in the recent Memorial Day ceremony at Bushnell National Cemetery.  When talking about burials at a national cemetery, several questions came up:

• Will the VA cover the cost of all funeral expenses?
• How do I know if I (a veteran) qualify for burial at a National Cemetery?
• What if I prefer to be buried in a local private cemetery?
• Can my spouse and I be together, regardless of who passes first?

Let’s try to tackle these and other questions you may have.  First, let’s acknowledge, this is NOT a fun conversation that anyone wants to have.  Just bringing up the possibility we will not live forever to our family carries a lot of stress.  Many families are resistant to talking about final arrangements.  They don’t want to think about it, some feel they are inviting tragedy by talking about it; there are a lot of reasons why they do not want to have this conversation.  There is only one reason to insist on having the conversation; the day we are no longer capable of helping our families through tragedy will come.  Isn’t it better to talk about these decisions before our families are grieving our loss?

 

This video can be a good starting point:

Understanding Your VA Burial Benefits

So, what exactly will the VA cover when it comes to burial benefits? What about my spouse?  Who pays for the casket or urn?  How does our family transport our casket or urn to either a national or private cemetery?

Well first, wouldn’t it help our family to know if we prefer to be together in our final resting place and if we want a casket for burial or urn for cremation?  Do they know if we prefer our final resting place to be at a national cemetery or if we would rather be in a private cemetery?

The VA does not pay for burial at a private cemetery for spouses or dependents. However, if a spouse or dependent child is eligible for burial in a VA national cemetery, the VA will provide an inscription on the Veteran’s headstone or marker. This includes inscribing the spouse’s name, date of birth, and date of death, along with a term of endearment if requested. For veterans who died on or after October 1, 2019, the inscription will also include the spouse’s name, date of birth, and date of death.  The VA will inscribe the spouse’s information on the veteran’s headstone or marker in the private cemetery.

A lot goes into these questions and conversations.  The more we understand what the VA does or does not do, the better equipped we are to talk through decisions with our families.  The above video talks a lot about what the VA does do but the VA does not cover the cost of a casket or urn.  The VA only covers the cost of transportation to the national cemetery for burial IF a veteran dies as a result of a service-connected disability or is under care of the VA at the time of death.  The VA will reimburse transportation expenses for transporting veteran remains to a national cemetery.  Eligibility is subject to specific criteria, including the veteran’s discharge status and circumstance of death.

You may be eligible for Veterans burial allowances if you’re paying for the burial and funeral costs and you won’t be reimbursed by any other organization, like another government agency or the Veteran’s employer. You must also meet all of these requirements.

1 of these relationships or professional roles describes your connection to the Veteran:

• You’re the Veteran’s surviving spouse (Note: We recognize same-sex marriages), or
• You’re the surviving partner from a legal union (a relationship made formal in a document issued by the state recognizing the union), or
• You’re a surviving child of the Veteran, or
• You’re a parent of the Veteran, or
• You’re the executor or administrator of the Veteran’s estate (someone who officially represents the Veteran), or
• You’re a family member or friend who isn’t the executor of the Veteran’s estate, or
• You’re a representative from a funeral home, cemetery, or other organization

The Veteran must not have received a dishonorable discharge, and 1 of these circumstances must be true:

• The Veteran died as a result of a service-connected disability (a disability related to service), or
• The Veteran died while getting VA care, either at a VA facility or at a facility contracted by VA, or
• The Veteran 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
• The Veteran 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
• The Veteran died while receiving a VA pension or compensation, or
• The Veteran died while eligible for compensation or a VA pension at their time of death, but instead received full military retirement or disability pay

Or:

• The Veteran had been getting a VA pension or compensation when they died, or
• The Veteran had chosen to get military retired pay instead of compensation

Note: We’ll also pay you back for for the cost of transporting a Veteran’s remains for burial in a national cemetery.

The VA does not provide burial allowances if the individual died on active duty, or, while serving as a member of Congress, or, while serving a federal prison sentence.

So, the VA will help with burial allowance, great!  That should cover expenses, right?  The charts below are from VA.gov as of 5/28/26 and are subject to change.

Burial allowance amounts for a service-connected death

Status	Maximum burial allowance
If the Veteran died on or after September 11, 2001	$2,000
If the Veteran died before September 11, 2001	$1,500
If the Veteran is buried in a VA national cemetery	We may pay you back for some or all of the costs of moving the Veteran’s remains

Burial allowance amounts for a non-service-connected death

Status	Maximum burial allowance
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2025	We’ll pay a $1,002 burial allowance and $1,002 for a plot
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2024, but before October 1, 2025	We’ll pay a $978 burial allowance and $978 for a plot
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2023, but before October 1, 2024	We’ll pay a $948 burial allowance and $948 for a plot
If the Veteran died on or after January 5, 2023, but before October 1, 2023	We’ll pay a $893 burial allowance and $893 for a plot
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2022, but before January 5, 2023	We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $893 for a plot
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2021, but before October 1, 2022	We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $828 for a plot
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2020, but before October 1, 2021	We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $807 for a plot
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2019, but before October 1, 2020	We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $796 for a plot
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2018, but before October 1, 2019	We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $780 for a plot
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2017, but before October 1, 2018	We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $762 for a plot
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2016, but before October 1, 2017	We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $749 for a plot
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2015, but before October 1, 2016	We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $747 for a plot
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2014, but before October 1, 2015	We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $745 for a plot
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2013, but before October 1, 2014	We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $734 for a plot

Wow!  That’s a lot.  Those allowance amounts should cover everything?

Caskets in the U.S. typically cost between $2,000 and $5,000, with options ranging from under $1,000 to over $12,000 depending on material and customization.  Most adult cremation urns cost between $60 and $200, depending on material, craftsmanship, and style.

Need help understanding the benefits or navigating the VA?  American Legion Post 108 Service Officer Mike Lowell stands at the ready to help veterans and their families find solutions and resources.  Email him at MikeLowell@LutzCemetery.org.  You can also text or call Mike at 760-409-1081

None of these conversations are easy. But making these decisions ahead of time can spare our families additional stress during one of the hardest moments of their lives. Understanding VA burial benefits today can help ensure our wishes are honored tomorrow.