VA Burial Allowance: How Much, Who Qualifies, and How to Claim It

Federal eligibility — three core conditions

• Discharge under conditions other than dishonorable. Honorable, Under Honorable Conditions (General), Other Than Honorable, and (in some cases) Bad Conduct discharges qualify. Dishonorable discharges generally do not.
• At least 24 months of continuous active service (for veterans who entered service after September 7, 1980), OR discharge for a service-connected disability, OR death while on active duty.
• No felony bar under 38 U.S.C. § 2411 — federal or state felony convictions for capital offenses bar burial benefits. Lesser felonies do not bar eligibility.

Allowance amounts (current as of latest VA fact sheet)

Edge cases that catch families by surprise

Reserve and National Guard members must have completed federal active duty (not just inactive-duty training) to qualify for federal burial benefits. A Reservist who deployed for 12+ months on Title 10 active duty qualifies. A Reservist who only drilled monthly does not. State veteran cemeteries often have looser rules — many accept any Reserve or Guard member with an honorable discharge regardless of active-duty time.

Dishonorable discharge generally bars all VA burial benefits, but the Board of Veterans' Appeals can issue a Character of Discharge determination that retroactively recognizes service for benefits purposes. Bad Conduct discharges issued by general court-martial are treated similarly. Families should always consult a VSO before assuming ineligibility — about 12% of contested COD cases result in retroactive recognition.

Same-sex spouses of veterans are fully eligible for VA burial benefits and burial at VA national cemeteries following the 2013 implementation of post-Windsor regulations. The 2015 Obergefell decision extended the rule retroactively to all marriages valid in the state where contracted.

Divorced spouses are not eligible for burial at a VA national cemetery as the spouse of the veteran. They may, however, be eligible in their own right if they served as a veteran themselves. A divorced spouse who later remarries the veteran before death regains eligibility.

Remarried surviving spouses historically lost VA burial eligibility upon remarriage. The 2003 Veterans Benefits Act restored eligibility for surviving spouses who remarry on or after age 57, regardless of whether the second marriage ended. Younger remarried surviving spouses may lose eligibility unless the second marriage ended in death or annulment.

Dependent children are eligible for burial at a VA national cemetery alongside the veteran-parent. Dependency is determined by age (under 18, or under 23 if a full-time student) or by permanent disability incurred before age 18. Adult disabled children of veterans remain eligible for life if the disability is permanent.

Stepchildren and adopted children of veterans may qualify if they were members of the veteran's household at the time of the veteran's death, even if not formally adopted.

Recent regulation changes

The VA adjusts burial benefit amounts annually based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The most recent adjustment (effective October 1) brought the standard burial allowance to $948 from prior $893.

In 2022, the VA expanded the plot allowance to all eligible veterans regardless of where they served (previously, the allowance was restricted to veterans of wartime service). The expansion was authorized by Public Law 117-103.

Arlington National Cemetery's eligibility rules were further tightened in 2019 due to space constraints; proposed (not yet enacted) further restrictions would limit in-ground burial to recipients of major valor awards and active-duty deaths only.

How to verify eligibility before filing

The fastest verification is a phone call to the VA Burial Benefits help line at 1-800-827-1000. Provide the veteran's full name, date of birth, and service number; the agent can check the eligibility record on the call.

For burial scheduling at a VA national cemetery, the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-800-535-1117 is the operational line. They verify eligibility AND schedule the burial in one call.

If contested, the Veterans Service Officer (VSO) at the local VFW or American Legion post can pre-screen the case and walk the family through any documentation gaps before the formal filing.

If the claim is denied

Burial-benefit denials are unusual but not unheard of. The most common reasons are character-of-discharge disputes (the VA records show a discharge type the family disputes), missing service records (the National Personnel Records Center could not produce the DD-214), or eligibility timing (the veteran fell short of the 24-month service requirement).

If the claim is denied, the family has one year from the date of the denial letter to file a Notice of Disagreement. The form is VA Form 21-0958. The appeal goes to the Board of Veterans' Appeals, which reviews the case de novo.

Engaging a Veterans Service Officer (VSO) for the appeal is strongly recommended — they file at no charge, know the case-law landscape, and can spot documentation gaps the family may have missed. About 35% of contested burial-benefit appeals result in reversal at the Board level.

Where to get help

VA Burial Benefits help line: 1-800-827-1000 — 8am–9pm Eastern, weekdays. Operators can pre-screen eligibility and answer specific questions.

National Cemetery Scheduling Office: 1-800-535-1117 — 24/7, for active funeral arrangements only. Not for general questions.

DoD Honors Coordination: 1-877-MIL-HONR (1-877-645-4667) — for honors requests inside 72 hours of service time.

Veterans Service Officers (VSO) at VFW, American Legion, AMVETS, DAV, or county Veterans Affairs offices — file claims and appeals at no charge.

VA.gov — official documentation, downloadable forms, claim status tracking.