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An In-depth look at Burial and Memorial Benefits you are entitled to as a Veteran

Posted on by aircraftmainta
USAF Airmen Carry a casket draped in an American Flag
12
Dec
**All of this information has been taken from the VA Transition Guide. We have broken down the information into much easier pieces for you to navigate.**

Burial and Memorial Benefits

Private funeral expenses are often excessive. However, VA burial benefits can assist with those costs. The VA offers burial and memorial benefits that will honor your service to our country, including burial in one of the VA’s national cemeteries.

The VA burial benefits can help Service members, Veterans and their family members plan for a burial or memorial service in one of the VA’s national cemeteries. Family members can also order memorial items to honor the service of a Veteran. It is a good idea to plan in advance to help eliminate unnecessary delays and reduce stress on your family at a difficult time.

To learn more, click the links below:

What do VA burial benefits provide? 

 VA burial benefits include all the following, at no cost to the family: 
    • A gravesite in any VA national cemetery with available space  
    • The opening, closing and continuous care of the grave  
    • A government headstone, marker or medallion (including faith-based markers)  
    • A burial flag y A Presidential Memorial Certificate  
    • A monetary burial or plot allowance (in some cases) 
 Burial in a VA national cemetery is open to:
    • All Veterans discharged under other than dishonorable circumstances 
    • Service members who died while on active duty, active duty for training or inactive duty for training 
    • Spouse, minor child or stillborn child of a Veteran, even if the Veteran died first OR the unmarried adult child of a Veteran (in some instances) 
 Eligibility as it relates to members of the reserve components requires:
    • Meeting legal minimum active-duty service requirements; being called up to active duty and serving their full term of service, and not receiving a dishonorable discharge, OR 
    • Being entitled to, or that you would have been entitled to retirement pay at time of death, OR
    • Dying while hospitalized or getting treatment at the expense of the U.S. for an injury or illness that occurred while performing active-duty services for training or inactive-duty training under honorable conditions. 
 


Presidential Memorial Certificate 


A Presidential Memorial Certificate is an engraved paper certificate to honor the memory of deceased Veterans who are eligible for burial in a national cemetery. The certificate bears the current President’s signature and expresses the country’s grateful recognition of the Veteran’s service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Who is eligible? 
    • Active Duty 
    • National Guard
    •  Reserve 
    • Veteran 
    • Family Member 
More than one Presidential Memorial Certificate may be requested by eligible recipients, including:  
    • Next of kin or other relatives  
    • Friends 
    • Authorized service representatives acting on behalf of family or friends 

Learn more by clicking this link: Presidential Memorial Certificates

 

Pre-Need Program 

The Pre-Need Program assists anyone who would like to know in advance if they are eligible for burial in a VA national cemetery. Families of those registered with the Pre-Need Program will have increased confidence that their loved ones are eligible for burial in a VA national cemetery at their time of need.
 
Who is eligible? 
    • Active Duty
    • National Guard 
    • Reserve 
    • Veteran 
    • Family Member 
Service members, Veterans, spouses, domestic partners and unmarried dependent adult children may apply to determine their eligibility for burial in a VA national cemetery. Authorized service representatives acting on behalf of these people may also apply.

Learn more by clicking this link: Pre-need eligibility for burial in a VA cemetery

**All of this information has been taken from the VA Transition Guide. We have broken down the information into much easier pieces for you to navigate.**

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