Everything You Need To Know About Veterans Burial Benefits

October 30, 2017 October 30, 2017

Veterans’ burial benefits are flat rate partial refunds of an eligible late veteran’s burial and funeral costs. Recent changes issued by the U.S department of veterans’ affairs simplified the modes of payment in order to grant these benefits to eligible surviving spouses and children more efficiently. Available burial benefits for veterans vary: they may come in form of honorary recognition, monetary or specific funeral goods and services.

However, when it comes to monetary benefits, refunds of funeral or cremation costs and other benefits only apply to veterans who meet specific requirements set out by the VA department. Dealing with the loss of a loved one while having to navigate through all of these forms and requirements can be a daunting task.

ELIGIBILITY FOR VETERANS BURIAL BENEFITS

Firstly, a veteran’s discharge papers are needed to verify military service and determine eligibility for VA burial benefits. If those are lost or displaced for whatever reason, they can be requested from the National Personnel Record Center online or by mail.

Your request to the NPRC must contain certain basic information about the deceased. This information includes the veteran's complete name used while in service, their service and social security number and branch and dates of service.

VA burial benefits are open to veterans who:

• died in a VA hospital while under VA contract – meaning that the veteran was actively receiving VA pension or compensation at the time of death - or while in a VA-approved nursing home;
• were disabled due to service-related injuries before death;
• retired from VA services;
• were discharged on honorary conditions;
• died while on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training.

In order to receive veteran burial benefits, the individual had to have paid for the burial or funeral and not been reimbursed by another government agency such as the deceased Veteran's employer.

The Department of Veteran Affairs does not pay veterans burial benefits if the deceased died during active military service, was a member of Congress who died while holding office or had been a Federal prisoner.

MONETARY VALUE OF VETERANS BURIAL BENEFITS

The next step is to apply for actual financial assistance. As of this year, the VA pays for burial and funeral expenses on a reimbursement basis and covers burial and plot or interment allowances. The amount paid to a beneficiary of the VA burial benefits varies, and depends on whether the death of the veteran was:

• SERVICE CONNECTED - The beneficiary of these benefits gets a maximum burial allowance of $2000 if the veteran died on or after September 11, 2001, or up to $1500 for deaths prior to September 11, 2001. In addition, if the deceased veteran is laid to rest in a VA cemetery, the cost or transport the remains will also be refunded.
• NON-SERVICE CONNECTED – In this case – and if the deceased was hospitalized by VA at time of death - VA will pay up to $762 toward burial and funeral expenses for deaths on or after October 1, 2017, or $300 toward burial and funeral expenses if not hospitalized by VA. The VA will also compensate a $762 plot-interment allowance if the deceased was not buried in a national cemetery.

The VA also covers transportation and burial costs for veterans who died while travelling for health purposes at VA expense.

HOW TO APPLY FOR VA BURIAL BENEFITS

The simplest way is to apply for veterans’ burial benefits online by filling the VA FORM 21-530 and submitting it along with the deceased veteran’s discharge documents and death certificate.

The required evidence for reimbursement is receipted bills and a statement of account issued by the funeral director or cemetery owner listing the nature and cost of received services. It’s important to keep receipts for all paid expenses to claim a refund.

All forms and receipts should be mailed to your regional VA office located in your state and must be submitted within two years from the burial date of the deceased veteran. If you are a child or spouse of a deceased or hospitalised veteran, you are also eligible to apply for financial assistance and - if interested in pursuing an education - may be eligible to apply for benefits by filling the VA FORM 22-5490 which provides aid that covers tuition, books and housing allowances for the beneficiary.

ELIGIBILITY FOR A HEADSTONE, MARKER OR MEDALLION

The VA will furnish a headstone or marker for the grave of any eligible deceased veteran in any cemetery at no cost to the VA burial benefit applicant. A Government-furnished medallion may be provided for eligible Veterans whose grave is marked with a privately purchased headstone or marker. This benefit can be claimed by filing a VA FORM 40-1330 and submitting or mailing to your regional VA office.

Spouses and dependents are also eligible for a Government-furnished headstone or marker if they are buried in a national, state Veterans', or military post/base cemetery.

In situations when the beneficiary of the VA burial benefits has paid the costs for a headstone or marker, they can claim a refund by filling the VA FORM 21-8834 and mailing it along with attached receipts of paid expenses.

CLAIM FOR DEATH PENSION AND ACCRUED BENEFITS

VA death pension is a payment made monthly to a low-income surviving spouse or child of deceased veterans. The annual limit for death pension is $7,933 for a single deceased veteran survivor and about $10,385 for survivors with one qualifying dependent. However, a survivor will qualify for accrued benefits of about $9600 for single survivors and $12,144 for survivors with one qualifying dependent if disabled or housebound.  In order for an individual to be eligible for this group of benefits they must meet at least one of the requirements outlined below:

• They must be the surviving spouse of a veteran (to be eligible, spouses must not have remarried);
• Must be under eighteen years of age or under age 23 if attending a VA-approved school;
• Have become permanently incapable of self-support because of disability acquired before the age of 18.

An individual can apply for this set of benefits by filling the VA FORM 21-534and the VA FORM 21-4182 for accrued benefits and mailing all the requested paperwork to a VA regional office.