Bates Family Funeral Home

Veteran services at Bates Family Funeral Home

For veterans in De Kalb, TX, Bates Family Funeral Home coordinates military honors and burial benefits. In their own words: "Bates Family Funeral Home provides military funeral honors for eligible veterans, including the folding and presentation of the American flag, the playing of Taps, a three-volley rifle salute, and the draping of the U.S. flag over the casket. They also assist families in navigating benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), covering Presidential Memorial Certificates, headstones or markers, memorial plots, burial in a VA national cemetery, and reimbursement of burial expenses." On-site amenities include funeral chapel and reception hall, suited to flag presentation and honors ceremonies.

Veteran-related services offered include immediate burial, memorial service, graveside service, cremation, interment of cremated remains, and multiple urns for cremated remains. Each service is coordinated with the family and, where applicable, with the deceased's last unit or branch honor detail.

On-site facilities of note include funeral chapel. These spaces accommodate full military honors details, family gatherings before and after the service, and the placement of the United States flag during the visitation period.

The nearest VA national cemetery is Northwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery in LA, approximately 95 miles from Bates Family Funeral Home. Bates Family Funeral Home can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.

Texas has approximately 1,496 licensed funeral homes serving its population, of which a subset specifically lists military funeral honors and VA benefits assistance among their services. Bates Family Funeral Home is among them.

Frequently asked questions

Does Bates Family Funeral Home publish funeral prices?

Bates Family Funeral Home has not posted a full price list online. Under the FTC Funeral Rule it must provide itemized pricing on request — call (903) 667-2009, and ask how VA burial benefits apply.

Where is Bates Family Funeral Home located, and can it coordinate a veterans cemetery burial?

Bates Family Funeral Home is located at 601 East Front Street in De Kalb, TX. You can reach the home at (903) 667-2009. Staff can coordinate burial with nearby VA national and state veterans cemeteries.

What services does Bates Family Funeral Home offer veteran families?

Bates Family Funeral Home provides personalization, preplanning, immediate burial, visitation, viewing, and can arrange military funeral honors for eligible veterans.

Does Bates Family Funeral Home help veterans with VA burial benefits?

Bates Family Funeral Home provides military funeral honors for eligible veterans, including the folding and presentation of the American flag, the playing of Taps, a three-volley rifle salute, and the draping of the U.S. flag over the casket. They also assist families in navigating benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), covering Presidential Memorial Certificates, headstones or markers, memorial plots, burial in a VA national cemetery, and reimbursement of burial expenses.

What sets Bates Family Funeral Home apart

Multi-generational family ownership with a past NFDA president (Robert L. "Robby" Bates)
Specialization in Green Burial services
Comprehensive Veteran Services, including assistance with VA benefits and military honors
Offers personalized Life Tribute Videos, custom stationery, and keepsake candles
Provides diverse online payment solutions, including crowdfunding and life insurance claim assistance
Extensive preplanning options with online forms and transferable arrangements

Military & veteran services offered

★Memorial Service

★Veteran Services

★Military Funeral Honors

Burial & cremation services

Burial

· Immediate Burial
· Graveside Service
· Committal Service
· Green Burial

Cremation

· Cremation
· Interment of Cremated Remains
· Scattering Ashes
· Multiple Urns for Cremated Remains

On-site facilities

· Funeral Chapel

· Visitation Room

· Reception Hall

Affiliations & specializations

Industry affiliations

· National Funeral Directors Association
· Texas Funeral Directors Association

Specializations

· Green Burial
· Veteran Services

EverSettled · After the Veteran Funeral

The veteran's spouse may qualify for VA Dependency & Indemnity Compensation.

DIC is a tax-free monthly benefit for surviving spouses, dependent children, and (in some cases) parents of veterans whose death is service-connected. EverSettled walks veteran families through DIC eligibility, survivor pension, life-insurance claims, probate, and the federal-account paperwork that follows.

Begin Veteran Estate Settlement

How honors are coordinated

Military funeral honors are guaranteed at no cost for any veteran discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. The funeral home arranges the honors detail by contacting the deceased's last unit or the nearest active-duty installation of the appropriate branch and submitting the DD-214 to verify eligibility.

For requests less than 72 hours from service time, families can call the Department of Defense's expedited honors line at 1-877-MIL-HONR (1-877-645-4667). See the full honors protocol.