How to Use Veterans Funeral Benefits for a Deceased Veteran

Planning a funeral for a veteran often involves two systems: the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and a funeral home that knows how to work with VA burial programs.
This guide walks through how VA funeral and burial benefits typically work in real life and how to move your claim forward.

1. What Veterans Funeral Benefits Actually Cover

VA “funeral benefits” are usually a combination of several separate programs, not one single payment.
Most families use some (not all) of these:

• Burial in a VA national cemetery (grave space, opening/closing of grave, and perpetual care)
• Government-furnished headstone or marker
• Burial flag
• Presidential Memorial Certificate
• Burial allowance (partial reimbursement of funeral or burial/plot costs, if eligible)

These are administered by two main VA parts:

• A VA regional benefits office (for burial allowance payments and eligibility)
• The National Cemetery Scheduling Office (for burial or inurnment in a national cemetery)

Rules and amounts can change over time and may vary by circumstances (service-connected death, non-service-connected, died in a VA facility, etc.), so always confirm with an official VA source or accredited representative.

Key terms to know:

• Service-connected death — The veteran died as a result of a disability that VA has recognized as related to military service.
• Non-service-connected death — The death is not caused by a VA-recognized service-connected disability.
• Burial allowance — A VA payment that reimburses some funeral and/or burial costs to an eligible payer.
• Next of kin (NOK) — Closest living relative (spouse, child, etc.) who usually has priority to arrange burial and benefits.

Concrete action you can take today:
Call the funeral home you plan to use and ask if they regularly handle VA burials and burial allowance paperwork.
A VA-savvy funeral director often guides you through the forms and helps coordinate with the VA and the cemetery.

2. Where to Go Officially for Veterans Funeral Benefits

Two official VA points of contact typically handle almost everything:

• Your local VA regional benefits office – handles the burial allowance application and confirms service/eligibility.
• National Cemetery Scheduling Office – schedules burial in a VA national cemetery and arranges military honors (when eligible and available).

How to reach them through safe channels:

• Search for your nearest “VA regional office” on your state’s official Veterans Affairs office site or the national VA site. Look for addresses ending in .gov.
• Call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office (number is listed on the national cemetery section of the VA’s official website) to discuss burial in a national cemetery and ask which documents to fax or upload.

If you’re not using a national cemetery, many states also have state veterans cemeteries managed by a state veterans affairs department, which may have their own eligibility rules, small plot allowances, or special forms.

Scam warning:
When searching online for “VA burial benefits” or “veterans funeral help,” ignore ads or sites that promise to “get you a bigger benefit” for a fee, or that ask for your bank login or full Social Security number upfront.
Use only government sites ending in .gov or work through a licensed funeral home or accredited veterans service organization (VSO), which typically does not charge you for filing VA claims.

3. What You Need to Prepare Before Contacting VA

The biggest delay in getting veterans funeral benefits is often missing paperwork.
Gathering these items early lets the funeral home or VA office move faster.

Documents you’ll typically need:

• DD-214 or discharge papers (proof of military service and discharge status)
• Death certificate (certified copy, often required for both funeral claims and cemetery scheduling)
• Itemized funeral home and/or burial/cremation bill showing who paid or will pay, and what is still owed

Other documents that are often required or helpful:

• Marriage certificate if the claimant is a surviving spouse
• Receipts for plot, urn, or headstone if not using a VA national cemetery
• Evidence of cause of death if there is a possible service-connected death claim related to the burial allowance

If you do not have the DD-214, ask the funeral home whether they can help request it electronically, or search for the official military records request portal run by the National Archives (a .gov site) to request it yourself.
This record is critical: VA burial and funeral benefits usually cannot be approved without proof of qualifying service and discharge.

4. Step-by-Step: How to Start a VA Burial Claim and Cemetery Request

Below is a typical real-world sequence many families follow.
You can adapt the order depending on whether the death is imminent or has already occurred.

1. Contact a funeral home and mention VA benefits.
   Tell them the deceased (or imminent decedent) is a veteran and ask, “Can you help with VA burial benefits and national cemetery scheduling?”

2. Confirm service and gather documents.
   Collect the DD-214, ID for next of kin, and any available medical or hospice records indicating death or imminent death.

3. Decide on burial location.
   Choose whether you want:

   • A VA national cemetery
   • A state veterans cemetery
   • A private cemetery (you may still get some VA benefits, like burial allowance or headstone)

4. If using a VA national cemetery, schedule burial.
   You or the funeral home typically contact the National Cemetery Scheduling Office, provide the veteran’s service details, and send copies of the DD-214 and death certificate when available.
   What to expect next: They generally confirm eligibility, offer available dates/times, and coordinate with the funeral home and, when requested and available, military honors.

5. If using a private cemetery, coordinate with cemetery staff.
   The funeral home and cemetery handle plot selection and opening/closing.
   You still can request a government-set headstone/marker and apply for a burial allowance if eligible.

6. Apply for the VA burial allowance.
   The responsible party (often the surviving spouse, executor, or person who paid the bill) submits the VA’s burial benefit claim form through:

   • Mail to the VA regional office, or
   • Online through the official VA benefits portal (via a .gov site), or
   • In person at a VA regional office with help from a VSO representative.

7. Respond to any VA follow-up.
   What to expect next: VA may send a letter asking for more documents (for example, a clearer itemized bill, proof of payment, or additional medical records if service-connection is claimed).
   Your claim typically moves forward only after you send the requested information.

Simple phone script you can use with your VA regional office:
“My [relationship], [‘father’ / ‘spouse’ / ‘sibling’], was a veteran and has passed away. I need help applying for VA burial benefits and the burial allowance. What forms do I need, and can I schedule an appointment or get help from an accredited representative?”

5. Real-World Friction to Watch For

Real-world friction to watch for
A very common snag is an incomplete or hard-to-read DD-214 or missing discharge documentation, which stalls both cemetery scheduling and the burial allowance claim. Funeral homes or families sometimes send in low-quality faxes or partial pages, and the VA can’t confirm eligibility. If this happens, ask exactly what is missing and either work with the funeral home to resend a clear, full copy, or request an official replacement from the military records center and then re-submit it to the VA office or National Cemetery Scheduling Office.

6. Getting Legitimate Help and Following Up

If you feel stuck at any step, several official or regulated options typically provide free assistance:

• VA regional benefits office walk-in or appointment: Staff can explain which burial forms you need and help you check the status of a burial allowance claim.
• Accredited Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs): Groups like the American Legion, VFW, DAV, and similar organizations have accredited representatives who routinely help families file VA burial claims at no cost.
• State Department of Veterans Affairs office: Many states run their own state veterans benefits offices and can help coordinate state cemetery burials or small state burial grants when available.
• Funeral home benefits coordinator: Some funeral homes have a staff person specifically trained to handle VA and Social Security notifications and will help you assemble the packet for VA.

When you follow up on a claim or cemetery request, keep a folder with:

• Copies of all documents you sent (DD-214, death certificate, bills)
• Notes of who you spoke with at the VA, cemetery, or funeral home, and the date/time
• Any claim or confirmation numbers the VA or cemetery provided

If your burial allowance claim seems stalled, call the VA regional office and say: “I filed a burial benefits claim on [date]. I have my claim number. Can you tell me if you are waiting for any documents from me?”
They may tell you exactly what is missing so you can send it and get the claim moving again.

Remember that approval, exact timing, and payment amounts are never guaranteed, and they depend on the veteran’s service record, discharge status, cause and place of death, and whether you meet the VA’s rules for claimants.
Still, by using official VA channels, gathering the core documents early, and leaning on a knowledgeable funeral home or accredited VSO, you can usually reach the point where the burial is scheduled and your reimbursement claim is under review.