Veterans' Burial Benefits: A Comprehensive Guide

Veterans and their families may be eligible for valuable U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) funeral and burial benefits designed to help reduce end-of-life costs and honor military service. These benefits can include financial assistance, burial or inurnment in a VA national cemetery, and military honors, but they are not automatic and must be claimed.

Understanding the benefits available today can help families save money, avoid unnecessary stress, and ensure proper recognition when needed. Altogether funeral homes are certified Veterans Funeral Specialists who can help you understand these benefits, arrange for grave markers and honor guards, and facilitate transportation and burial in a national Veterans cemetery. 

This guide highlights the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' VA burial benefits, effective January 1, 2026, for eligible Veterans. For complete details, visit the VA website.

Veterans Burial Benefits 

The VA gives qualified Veterans or their eligible family members a financial break on burial, funeral, and cremation costs. Some of these benefits include:

• An allowance for burial, funeral, or cremation costs
• An allowance for the internment, plot, or grave marker
• Transportation reimbursement for transporting the remains to a final resting place

Current VA Burial Benefits for 2026

• Non-service-connected death: Up to $978 toward burial and funeral expenses.
• Plot or interment allowance: Up to $978 (when burial or inurnment is outside a VA national cemetery).
• Service-connected death: Up to $2,000 toward burial and funeral expenses.

What Are VA Burial Benefits?

VA burial benefits (sometimes called death benefits) are designed to alleviate the financial burden of funeral expenses and provide a dignified memorial for qualifying Veterans. Eligible Veterans, spouses, and dependents can be buried in a VA national cemetery, which includes the following at no cost to the family:

• Gravesite or cremation niche
• Opening and closing of the grave 
• Perpetual care of the grave or niche
• A headstone or marker
• A burial flag
• Presidential Memorial Certificate 

Military Funeral Honors

When a Veteran is buried or inurned in a VA national cemetery, the cemetery automatically includes Military Funeral Honors as part of the committal service. Most state and tribal Veteran cemeteries also arrange for:

• A U.S. burial flag
• Taps (live bugler when available, otherwise ceremonial recording)
• An honor guard detail from the deceased’s branch of service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard)

Additional VA Benefits for a Veteran’s Funeral Service

You may also receive the following if you bury or inter a Veteran in a private cemetery (not a national Veterans cemetery). 

Military Funeral Honors

Upon request, the Department of Defense provides military funeral honors, including folding and presenting the United States burial flag and playing "Taps” (either live or a recording). 

Headstones, Markers, and Medallions

The VA supplies headstones or markers for the graves of Veterans worldwide and medallions to be affixed to privately purchased headstones. 

Presidential Memorial Certificates

A certificate signed by the current President is available to commemorate the deceased Veteran's service.

VA Burial Transportation Money

The VA always pays for Veterans who pass away in a VA or VA-approved medical facility. In certain instances, the VA will cover the cost of transporting a Veteran’s remains from the place of death to the location of burial.

Who Can Apply for VA Burial Benefits?

To qualify for VA burial benefits, the Veteran must not have been discharged under dishonorable conditions. You may be eligible to apply if you are one of the following:

• The Veteran’s surviving spouse (including same-sex marriages)
• The Veteran’s surviving partner from a recognized legal union
• A surviving child of the Veteran
• A parent of the Veteran
• The executor or administrator of the Veteran’s estate
• The person or organization that paid for the funeral or burial expenses

Reservists and National Guard members may qualify for VA burial benefits and military honors if they served in the Selected Reserve, completed their service obligation with an honorable discharge, or died while on active duty or authorized training.

When a Veteran’s Death Qualifies for VA Burial Benefits

VA burial benefits may be available if any of the following apply:

• The Veteran was receiving VA compensation or pension at the time of death
• The Veteran died as a result of a service-connected disability
• The Veteran died while receiving VA medical care, either at a VA facility or a VA-contracted facility
• The Veteran died while traveling under VA authorization and at VA expense for treatment, care, or an examination
• The Veteran had an original or reopened claim for VA compensation or pension pending at the time of death
• The Veteran was eligible for VA compensation or pension, but chose to receive full military retirement or disability pay instead

Situations Where VA Burial Benefits Are Not Payable

VA burial benefits are not available if the Veteran passed away:

• While on active military duty
• While serving as a member of Congress
• While serving a federal prison sentence

VA Benefits and Your Out-of-Pocket Funeral Costs

While VA burial benefits offer meaningful support, they cover only part of the total cost of burial or cremation. It’s important to understand that VA disability compensation has not consistently kept pace with inflation and rising consumer costs, reducing its real-world purchasing power.

According to Military.com, the 2026 VA disability cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is 2.8%, which many report does not fully offset increases in everyday expenses such as housing, groceries, and healthcare.

Because VA disability benefits may lag behind inflation, locking in funeral arrangements with prepaid plans can help Veterans and their families protect against future cost increases and ease financial strain at the time of need.

Be sure to download the free guide on this page to learn more about VA benefits. Your local funeral home also offers free preplanning consultations. Click here to search for an Altogether provider near you.