What VA pays toward a veteran's burial, and who qualifies

Who can get the VA burial allowance?

The veteran must not have received a dishonorable discharge, and one of these must be true: the death was service connected; the veteran died while getting VA care (at a VA facility or one VA contracted); died while traveling at VA's expense to or from authorized care; had a VA compensation or pension claim pending; or was receiving (or eligible for) VA pension or compensation at the time of death.

The person claiming must be paying the burial and funeral costs without reimbursement from anyone else, such as another agency or the veteran's employer. That can be the surviving spouse or legal partner, a child, a parent, the executor or administrator of the estate, another family member or friend, or a funeral home or cemetery. VA does not pay burial allowances for deaths on active duty, while serving in Congress, or while serving a federal prison sentence.

How much is the VA burial allowance?

Non-service-connected amounts rise each October 1; deaths before October 1, 2026 use the earlier rates listed on VA.gov. VA may also reimburse the cost of transporting the veteran's remains for burial in a national cemetery. To see how far the allowance goes, compare it with what a funeral typically costs on our sister site DeathUS.

How do you claim it, and is there a deadline?

1. Gather the death certificate (with cause of death) and, if you paid transportation, an itemized receipt. VA recommends including the veteran's DD214 or other discharge papers. VA, Social Security, banks and insurers usually each want a certified copy, so work out how many certified copies of the death certificate you'll need before you order them.
2. Apply online on VA.gov or mail VA Form 21P-530EZ (Application for Burial Benefits) to the Pension Intake Center, PO Box 5365, Janesville, WI 53547-5365.
3. Questions: call 800-827-1000 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET).

There is no time limit for a service-connected death. For a non-service-connected death, file within 2 years after the burial, unless the veteran died under VA care or you are claiming the plot, interment or transportation allowance. A surviving spouse listed on the veteran's VA profile is paid a set amount automatically and does not need to file.

What does burial in a VA national cemetery include?

For anyone eligible, these come at no cost to the family (browse every VA national and state cemetery):

• A gravesite in any VA national cemetery with available space
• Opening and closing of the grave
• A government-provided burial liner
• A government-provided headstone or marker
• Perpetual care of the gravesite

Veterans, service members and Reservists also receive:

• A burial flag
• A Presidential Memorial Certificate
• Military funeral honors provided by the Department of Defense

Who can be buried in a VA national cemetery?

• A veteran who didn't receive a dishonorable discharge
• A service member who died on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty for training
• The spouse or surviving spouse of a veteran, even if they remarried after the veteran's death
• A minor child of a veteran or, in some cases, an unmarried adult dependent child

National Guard and Reserve members qualify under narrower rules (for example, entitlement to retirement pay, or death from an injury in training). A former spouse whose marriage ended in divorce or annulment is not eligible unless they are a veteran themselves. You can apply for a pre-need eligibility decision before a death; it does not reserve a specific cemetery or gravesite.

Burial benefits for a military spouse

A veteran's spouse or surviving spouse can be buried in a VA national cemetery, even if they remarried after the veteran's death, and gets the same gravesite, headstone and perpetual care at no cost. A former spouse whose marriage to the veteran ended in divorce or annulment doesn't qualify unless they are a veteran themselves.

When the veteran dies, a surviving spouse listed on the veteran's VA profile is paid a set amount automatically and doesn't need to file. Otherwise, a spouse who paid for the funeral may be able to claim the burial allowance with VA Form 21P-530EZ, if the veteran meets the conditions above. If the death was service connected, ask about Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (below).

How do you schedule a burial?

You or the funeral director call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET). Fax discharge papers to 866-900-6417 or email them to [email protected] first. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday. State and tribal veteran cemeteries schedule their own burials, so call the cemetery directly.

Headstones, flags and certificates

• Headstone or marker: request with VA Form 40-1330. Available for an unmarked grave anywhere in the world, or (for deaths on or after November 1, 1990) a grave already marked privately. Enlisted veterans who served after September 7, 1980, and officers after October 16, 1981, generally need 24 months of continuous active duty or death on active duty.
• Burial flag: VA Form 27-2008, taken to a funeral director, VA regional office or post office.
• Presidential Memorial Certificate: presented automatically at a national cemetery burial; otherwise request it with VA Form 40-0247.
• Military funeral honors: include the playing of Taps and two uniformed service members who present the flag. How to request honors, or read your branch's traditions: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Space Force.

After the funeral: survivor benefits and the estate

A surviving spouse, child or parent may qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), a tax-free monthly VA benefit, when the death was service connected or occurred on active duty (the claim form is VA Form 21P-534EZ). Settling the veteran's estate is a separate process run under state law; see ProbateUS for your state's probate rules and county court. Benefits outside VA change too: DeathUS explains what happens to Social Security payments after a death, including the one-time payment a surviving spouse may get.

Common questions