What does it cost to be buried in a veterans' cemetery?

There is no cost to a qualified veteran, their spouse, or their dependents.

Can a spouse be buried in a military cemetery?

Yes. The spouse and dependents of an eligible veteran can receive a free burial in a VA cemetery, even if they die before the veteran. The benefit includes perpetual care, and their names and birth dates are inscribed on the veteran's headstone.

Are military funerals free?

A military funeral in the form of an honor guard is provided to an eligible veteran at no cost. You can request it through the funeral director coordinating the services. By tradition Taps is played live on a bugle, but buglers are rare and hard to find these days, so a recording is often used instead.

What is the VA file number for burial benefits?

The VA file number, or claim number, identifies you and other veterans who receive VA benefits, and you'll need it to file. It is typically the same as your Social Security number but can occasionally differ, and is usually six or nine digits long. If you already claim disability or pension compensation, you can normally find it in the upper-right corner of any correspondence you receive.

Who is eligible to be buried in a national cemetery?

Eligible people include those who served on active duty or in the Selected Reserve, those honorably discharged after a full enlistment term or active-duty service, and those discharged for an injury or disability in the line of duty. A surviving spouse also qualifies (even if remarried to a non-military person, where death occurred on or after January 1, 2000), as do dependent children who are under 21, under 23 and in school, or disabled at any age.

Guides

VA death benefits for cremation: what veterans' families can claim

If you're planning a funeral for a veteran, it helps to know that the Department of Veterans Affairs offers a range of death benefits that apply to cremation as well as burial. The subject branches out in many directions, and grief is a hard time to be reading fine print. This guide brings the essentials together: the monetary allowances, the benefits provided free of charge, military funeral honors, and who qualifies for burial in a national cemetery.

VA cremation benefits

For the most part, veterans receive the same VA benefits for cremation as they do for a traditional burial, including the ones provided free of charge. The cremation itself is not free, but the surviving beneficiary receives monetary allowances that can be applied toward the cost.

A change to VA procedures in 2014 made claiming much simpler. An eligible spouse no longer has to file for the monetary benefit during their time of grief; it is now paid automatically once the VA has been notified of the veteran's death.

Who can claim, and in what order

If for some reason the allowance is not paid automatically to a spouse, the next eligible person in line should file a claim. The VA follows a set order of survivorship when deciding who receives the benefit. The allowances themselves fall into two categories — service-related and non-service-related — which are explained below.

✓Current spouse
✓Surviving children
✓Parents
✓Executor of the estate

Service-related death

A death is treated as service-related when it occurs while the veteran is on active duty, or when an honorably discharged veteran dies of a service-related injury. Service-related deaths carry the highest allowance: $2,000 for deaths on or after September 11, 2001, and $1,500 for deaths before that date.

Non-service-related death

A death is treated as non-service-related when it occurs in a VA hospital, nursing home, or healthcare facility, or when the veteran was drawing a military pension or disability at the time of death. These cases qualify for a burial allowance, currently $1,002 for deaths on or after October 1, 2025, plus a separate plot allowance of the same amount.

The plot allowance is adjusted periodically and currently stands at $1,002 for deaths on or after October 1, 2025. Because these amounts change most years, confirm the current figure with the VA when you file.

Free burial benefits

Beyond the cash allowances, a qualified veteran is entitled to a number of benefits at no cost to the family. The VA pays for transportation of the body from the place of death to the location where the cremation will be performed, and a range of cemetery services follow from there.

✓Transportation from the crematory to a VA cemetery
✓A plot at one of the VA cemeteries
✓Interment into a grave plot, a cremains garden, or a columbarium
✓Grave opening and closing
✓Perpetual care of the site
✓A headstone, grave marker, or a front plate for the columbarium
✓A burial flag
✓An engraved Presidential Memorial Certificate signed by the sitting president
✓A military honor guard

Military funeral honors

Funeral honors are provided free to a qualified veteran. The honor detail consists of at least two representatives of the armed forces, and in most cases four to six. While Taps is played, the honor guard folds the flag and presents it to the next of kin.

A rifle volley is sometimes offered as well, depending on the family's wishes and whether resources are available. It is often referred to as a 21-gun salute, though the two are not the same thing. The rifle volley grew out of an old battlefield custom: one side would call a ceasefire to clear its dead from the field, then fire three shots once the field was cleared to signal it was ready to resume fighting — a gesture of respect that survives in the modern ceremony.

Eligibility for military funeral honors

To qualify for military funeral honors, the veteran must meet one of the following service conditions.

✓Served on active duty or in the Selected Reserve
✓Honorably discharged after completing at least one enlistment term or a period of obligation in the Selected Reserve
✓Honorably discharged after serving on active duty
✓Discharged due to an injury or disability incurred in the line of duty

Help arranging a veteran's cremation

Some cremation societies specialize in helping families arrange a veteran's funeral. They can help you navigate the benefits, work out which ones you qualify for, and show you how to claim them, and many offer their services at a discounted rate for veterans.

You can also search for a cremation provider by state, which lets you find a specific facility to walk you through what's required where you live before laying your loved one to rest.

If you would rather compare your own options first, our guides to direct cremation and to typical cremation costs explain what you'll actually pay before any VA allowance is applied, so you can see how far the benefit goes.

VA burial benefits

Although there is not a VA cemetery in every state, there are 135 national cemeteries located in 40 states, and 21 of those accept cremated remains only. Many individual states also run their own VA cemeteries; the requirements usually match the national rules, though some add a residency condition. The US Department of Veterans Affairs maintains a map where you can check eligibility and other details for your state.

Three methods of marking the grave are provided free of charge by the government. Headstones are available in marble or granite, markers may be requested in marble, granite, or bronze, and columbarium markers are bronze. The style follows the regulations of the particular cemetery.

There is no charge for the marker itself, but if a headstone is erected in a private cemetery, setting it is the family's responsibility. When the headstone is placed in a national or state cemetery, the plot is free and the arrangements are taken care of for you.

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