Schaeffer Funeral Home

Veteran services at Schaeffer Funeral Home

For veterans in Petersburg, WV, Schaeffer Funeral Home coordinates military honors and burial benefits. In their own words: "Schaeffer Funeral Home provides comprehensive Veterans Services, including assistance with obtaining a United States flag to drape the casket or accompany the urn of a deceased veteran who served honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces. They outline eligibility criteria for burial flags, which include wartime service, active duty death after May 27, 1941, service after January 31, 1955, peacetime veterans discharged before June 27, 1950, certain Filipino military forces serving with the U.S. Armed Forces, and certain former members of the Selected Reserves. The flag is typically given to the next-of-kin as a keepsake. [cite: Veterans Burial Flags section]" On-site amenities include chapel, suited to flag presentation and honors ceremonies. Published pricing lists $4,290 for basic burial and $2,895 for direct cremation. Veterans may qualify for county or federal allowances toward these costs.

Veteran-related services offered include memorial service, burial, cremation, veterans services, burial vaults, and memorial markers. 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. 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.

Published pricing at Schaeffer Funeral Home: direct cremation from $2,895. That places direct cremation roughly 25% above the West Virginia median ($2,325). Veterans who served on active duty for at least 24 months may qualify for VA burial allowance to offset funeral costs — this home accepts assignment of those benefits where eligible.

The nearest VA national cemetery is Rocky Gap Veterans Cemetery in MD, approximately 57 miles from Schaeffer Funeral Home. Schaeffer Funeral Home can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.

West Virginia has approximately 299 licensed funeral homes serving its population, of which a subset specifically lists military funeral honors and VA benefits assistance among their services. Schaeffer Funeral Home is among them.

Frequently asked questions

What sets Schaeffer Funeral Home apart

• Independent, family-owned and operated since 1950, spanning multiple generations of the Schaeffer family.
• Serves the tri-county area of Grant, Hardy, and Pendleton counties in West Virginia.
• Provides individualized funeral services and is available 24/7 for assistance.
• Offers comprehensive Veterans Services, including assistance with burial flags and military honors.
• Provides extensive grief support resources, including a year of daily email messages and links to interactive grief websites.
• Affiliated with The Funeral and Memorial Information Council, promoting 'Have The Talk of a Lifetime' program.

Military & veteran services offered

Burial & cremation services

On-site facilities

Affiliations & specializations

Religious traditions & languages

Religious traditions accommodated: Brethren, Methodist, Lutheran. Languages spoken at the home: English.

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.