Veteran services at Charter Funeral Home & Crematory
For veterans in Calera, AL, Charter Funeral Home & Crematory coordinates military honors and burial benefits. In their own words: "Charter Funeral Home & Crematory provides comprehensive veteran's funeral services, including coordinating traditional military honors such as a military chaplain, flag presentation by the American Legion, a final salute at the gravesite, a 21-gun salute (rank-dependent), and the playing of Taps. They assist families with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, including applications for Presidential Memorial Certificates, securing headstones or markers, arranging memorial plots, facilitating burial in the Alabama National Cemetery, and understanding reimbursement for burial expenses. Membership in their Veteran's Funeral and Cremation Society offers pre-planning options and discounted pricing for services." On-site amenities include chapel, suited to flag presentation and honors ceremonies. Published pricing lists $4,795 for basic burial and $1,295 for direct cremation. Veterans may qualify for county or federal allowances toward these costs.
Veteran-related services offered include burial, cremation, immediate burial, memorial service, graveside service, and veteran's funeral service. 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 chapel, charter memorial scatter garden, and outdoor memorial service area. 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 Alabama National Cemetery in AL, approximately 6 miles from Charter Funeral Home & Crematory. Charter Funeral Home & Crematory can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.
Alabama has approximately 479 licensed funeral homes serving its population, of which a subset specifically lists military funeral honors and VA benefits assistance among their services. Charter Funeral Home & Crematory is among them.
Frequently asked questions
Does Charter Funeral Home & Crematory publish funeral prices?
Charter Funeral Home & Crematory has not posted a full price list online. Under the FTC Funeral Rule it must provide itemized pricing on request — call (205) 621-0800, and ask how VA burial benefits apply.
Where is Charter Funeral Home & Crematory located, and can it coordinate a veterans cemetery burial?
Charter Funeral Home & Crematory is located at 2521 Highway 31 in Calera, AL. You can reach the home at (205) 621-0800. Staff can coordinate burial with nearby VA national and state veterans cemeteries.
What services does Charter Funeral Home & Crematory offer veteran families?
Charter Funeral Home & Crematory provides burial, cremation, immediate burial, visitation, funeral service, and can arrange military funeral honors for eligible veterans.
Does Charter Funeral Home & Crematory help veterans with VA burial benefits?
Charter Funeral Home & Crematory provides comprehensive veteran's funeral services, including coordinating traditional military honors such as a military chaplain, flag presentation by the American Legion, a final salute at the gravesite, a 21-gun salute (rank-dependent), and the playing of Taps. They assist families with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, including applications for Presidential Memorial Certificates, securing headstones or markers, arranging memorial plots, facilitating burial in the Alabama National Cemetery, and understanding reimbursement for burial expenses. Membership in their Veteran's Funeral and Cremation Society offers pre-planning options and discounted pricing for services.
Which faith traditions does Charter Funeral Home & Crematory accommodate?
Staff coordinate services for Christian (various denominations) families, among others.
What sets Charter Funeral Home & Crematory apart
- Operates the only on-site crematory in Shelby County, Alabama, ensuring continuous care for loved ones.
- Originated from Alabama's first cremation society, Charter Cremation Society, established in 1994.
- Features a 2.5-acre Charter Memorial Scatter Garden with cremation niches, scattering areas, and outdoor memorial service spaces.
Military & veteran services offered
Burial & cremation services
Burial
- · Burial
- · Immediate Burial
- · Graveside Service
- · Committal Service
Cremation
- · Cremation
On-site facilities
Affiliations & specializations
Industry affiliations
- · Cremation Society
- · Crematory
- · Funeral Home
- · Scattering Garden
Specializations
- · Cremation Society
- · Veteran's Funeral And Cremation Society
Religious traditions & languages
Religious traditions accommodated: Christian (various denominations).
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 SettlementHow 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.