VA Burial Benefits: Service-Connected or Non-Service Connected – There’s a Benefit for You
How to Apply for a Veterans Burial Allowance
Source: VA.gov
Find out how to get Veterans burial allowances to help cover burial, funeral, and transportation costs.
Can I get allowances to help pay for a Veteran’s burial and funeral costs?
You may 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 describes your connection to the Veteran.
One of these must describe your relationship or role. You’re:
- The Veteran’s surviving spouse (Note: we recognize same-sex marriages), or
- A surviving child of the Veteran, or
- A parent of the Veteran, or
- The executor or administrator of the Veteran’s estate (someone who officially represents the Veteran)
To get this benefit, the Veteran must NOT have received a dishonorable discharge, and one of the below circumstances must be true.
One of these must be true of the Veteran. They:
- Died as a result of a service-connected disability (a disability related to service), or
- Had been getting a VA pension or compensation when they died, or
- Had chosen to get military retired pay instead of compensation, or
- Died while getting VA care, either at a VA facility or at a facility contracted by VA, or
- Died while traveling to approved VA care, or
- Died with a reopened claim for VA compensation or a pension that would have qualified them to get benefits, or
- Died on or after October 9, 1996, while a patient at a VA-approved state nursing home
Note: Veterans Affairs will also provide an allowance for the cost of transporting a Veteran’s remains for burial in a national cemetery.
When do I need to file a claim?
You must file a claim for a non-service-connected burial allowance within 2 years after the Veteran’s burial or cremation. If a Veteran’s discharge was changed after death from dishonorable to another status, you must file for an allowance claim within 2 years after the discharge update.
There’s no time limit to file for a service-connected burial, plot, or interment allowance.
What kind of benefits can I get?
- An allowance for burial and funeral costs
- An allowance for the plot or interment
- An allowance for transporting the Veteran’s remains for burial in a national cemetery
What documents and information do I need to apply?
You may need a copy of:
- The Veteran’s military discharge papers (DD214 or other separation documents)
- The Veteran’s death certificate
- Any documents you have for the cost of transporting the Veteran’s remains
How do I apply?
You can apply online right now. Apply for Burial Benefits
You can also apply:
By mail
Apply by mail using an Application for Burial Benefits (VA Form 21P-530).
Download VA Form 21P-530.
Mail the application and other paperwork to your nearest VA regional benefit office.
Find your nearest VA regional benefit office.
If you have questions, call 1-800-827-1000, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (ET). Our TTY number for people with hearing impairments is 711. Or call your VA regional benefit office.
Burial Allowance Amounts
What are the 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 |
What are the burial allowance amounts for a non-service-connected death?
| Status | Maximum Burial Allowance |
|---|---|
| If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2017 | We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $762 for a plot |
| If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2016 | We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $749 for a plot |
| If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2015 | 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 |
What are the burial allowance amounts if the Veteran was hospitalized by VA at the time of their death?
| Status | Maximum Burial Allowance |
|---|---|
| If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2017 | We’ll pay a $762 burial allowance and $762 for a plot |
| If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2016 | We’ll pay a $749 burial allowance and $749 for a plot |
| If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2015 | We’ll pay a $747 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 $745 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 $734 burial allowance and $734 for a plot |
- We may also pay you back for some or all of the costs of moving the Veteran’s remains if they were hospitalized or in a VA-contracted nursing home at the time of death.
- We may pay you back for some or all of the costs of moving the Veteran’s remains if they died while traveling to VA-authorized care.
Note: If a Veteran’s remains aren’t claimed, we’ll pay the person or organization responsible for the Veteran’s burial a $300 burial allowance. If the deceased qualifies, we may pay you back for the costs of moving the Veteran’s remains to a VA national cemetery.
Medallions for Veterans Buried in Private Cemeteries
Bronze Medallions
The Department of Veterans Affairs provides a medallion, by request, to be affixed to an existing, privately purchased headstone or marker to signify the deceased’s status as a Veteran.
This device is furnished in lieu of a traditional Government headstone or grave marker for those Veterans who served on or after Apr. 6, 1917 and whose grave in a private cemetery is marked with a privately purchased headstone or marker.
Why choose a medallion: Bronze medallions are durable and can be easily affixed to privately purchased headstones by anyone, avoiding headstone or marker setting fees. The medallion also offers a way to identify the grave as that of a Veteran when a cemetery only allows one headstone per grave, preventing the use of a standard VA marker as a footstone.
Bronze Medallion Sizes: The medallion is available in three sizes: Large(6-3/8”W x 4-3/4”H x 1/2”D), Medium (3-3/4”W x 2-7/8”H x 1/4″D) and Small (2”W x 1-1/2”H x 1/3”D). Each medallion is inscribed with the word “VETERAN” across the top and the branch of service at the bottom.
Medal of Honor Medallion Sizes: The Medal of Honor (MOH) Medallion comes in Medium and Large. Each medallion is inscribed with “MEDAL OF HONOR” at the top and the branch of service at the bottom.
To request a medallion, please use VA Form 40-1330M, Claim for Government Medallion for Placement in a Private Cemetery. When requesting the MOH Medallion, check “OTHER” in block 11 and specify MOH.
Once a claim for a medallion is received and approved, VA will mail the medallion along with a kit that will allow the family or the staff of a private cemetery to affix the device to a headstone, grave marker, mausoleum or columbarium niche cover.
Important: This benefit is only applicable if the grave is marked with a privately purchased headstone or marker. In these instances, eligible Veterans are entitled to either a traditional Government-furnished headstone or marker, or the new medallion, but not both.
For family members of eligible Veterans interested in submitting a claim for the medallion, instructions on how to apply for a medallion are available. Please use:
