Veteran Funeral Traditions

You may be eligible for Veterans burial allowances if you’re paying for the burial and funeral costs and you won’t be reimbursed by any other organization, like another government agency or the Veteran’s employer. You must also meet all of these requirements.

• One of these relationships or professional roles describes your connection to the Veteran:

  • You’re the Veteran’s surviving spouse (Note: We recognize same-sex marriages.), or

  • You’re the surviving partner from a legal union (a relationship made formal in a document issued by the state recognizing the union), or

  • You’re a surviving child of the Veteran, or

  • You’re a parent of the Veteran, or

  • You’re the executor or administrator of the Veteran’s estate (someone who officially represents the Veteran)

• The Veteran must not have received a dishonorable discharge, and one of these circumstances must be true:

  • The Veteran died as a result of a service-connected disability (a disability related to service), or

  • The Veteran died while getting VA care, either at a VA facility or at a facility contracted by VA, or

  • The Veteran died while traveling with proper authorization, and at VA's expense, either to or from a facility for an examination, or to receive treatment or care, or

  • The Veteran died with an original or reopened claim for VA compensation or pension pending at the time of death, if they would’ve been entitled to benefits before the time of death, or

  • The Veteran died while receiving a VA pension or compensation, or

  • The Veteran died while eligible for a VA pension or compensation at time of death, but instead received full military retirement or disability pay

Or:

• • The Veteran had been getting a VA pension or compensation when they died, or

  • The Veteran had chosen to get military retired pay instead of compensation

• You can’t get burial allowances for certain individuals

  • We don’t provide burial allowances if the individual died:

• On active duty, or

• While serving as a member of Congress, or

• While serving a federal prison sentence

Veterans, service members, spouses, and dependents may be eligible for burial in a VA national cemetery, as well as other benefits, if they meet one of these requirements:

• The person qualifying for burial benefits is a Veteran who didn’t receive a dishonorable discharge, or

• The person qualifying for burial benefits is a service member who died while on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty for training, or

• The person qualifying for burial benefits is the spouse or minor child of a Veteran, even if the Veteran died first, or

• The person qualifying for burial benefits is in some cases, the unmarried adult dependent child of a Veteran

To see eligibility criteria for other special groups, see this article.

• Military members who died while on active duty.

• Veterans who served in the active military, naval, or air service and were discharged or released from that service by means of an “honorable” or “under honorable conditions” discharge.

• Members or former members of the Selected Reserves and were discharged or released from service by means of an “honorable” or “under honorable conditions” discharge.

• Members of the Commissioned Officers Corps of the Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

• Certain civilian or contractual groups who have been given active-duty determinations may also be eligible for funeral honors, as they may have been named active-duty designees for the military, Navy or Air Force services.

A Veteran who didn’t receive a dishonorable discharge or a service member who died while on active duty may be eligible for a medallion if they meet these requirements specific to when they served:

• Officers who served before October 16, 1981, and enlisted personnel who served before September 7, 1980, both of these must be true:

  • The Veteran or service member served for at least 1 day of active duty on or after April 6, 1917, and

  • The Veteran or service member is buried in a private cemetery marked with a privately purchased headstone or marker

• Officers who served after October 16, 1981, and enlisted personnel who served after September 7, 1980, both of these must be true:

  • The Veteran or service member served for a minimum of 24 months of continuous active duty, and

  • The Veteran or service member is buried in a private cemetery marked with a privately purchased headstone or marker

Additional Notes:

• Any service member who died while serving on active duty is eligible, regardless of when they served.

• Veterans that have received a Medal of Honor, they may also be eligible for a Medal of Honor medallion.

A Veteran who didn’t receive a dishonorable discharge or a service member who died while on active duty may be eligible for a headstone or marker if they meet these requirements specific to when they served:

• Enlisted personnel who served before September 7, 1980, and officers who served before October 16, 1981, at least one of these must be true:

  • The Veteran or service member died on or after November 1, 1990, and their grave is currently marked with a privately purchased headstone, or

  • The Veteran or service member was buried in an unmarked grave, anywhere in the world

Note: If the Veteran or service member served before World War I, we require detailed documents, like muster rolls, extracts from state files, or the military or state organization where they served.

• Enlisted personnel who served after September 7, 1980, and officers who served after October 16, 1981, at least one of these must be true:

  • The Veteran or service member died on or after November 1, 1990, and their grave is currently marked with a privately purchased headstone, or

  • The Veteran or service member was buried in an unmarked grave, anywhere in the world

And at least one of these must also be true:

• The Veteran or service member served for a minimum of 24 months of continuous active duty, or

• The Veteran or service member died while serving on active duty

Note: Hmong individuals who were living in the U.S. when they died are eligible if they were naturalized under the Hmong Veterans Naturalization Act of 2000 and died on or after March 23, 2018.

You may be eligible for a Presidential Memorial Certificate if you meet both of these requirements.

• The Veteran or Reservist is eligible for burial in a national cemetery, and

• You’re the next of kin, family member, or close friend of the Veteran or Reservist (or an authorized service representative for a family member or friend of the Veteran or Reservist)

You may be eligible for a burial flag if you’re the next of kin or a close friend of the Veteran or Reservist and one of these descriptions are true for that Veteran or Reservist:

• They served in wartime, or

• They died while serving on active duty after May 27, 1941, or

• They served after January 31, 1955, or

• They served in peacetime and left military service before June 27, 1950, after serving at least 1 enlistment, or because of a disability that was caused—or made worse—by their active military service, or

• They served in the Selected Reserves (in certain cases), or served in the military forces of the Philippines while in service of the United States and died on or after April 25, 1951. For more information on either of these situations, call 800-827-1000, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET.