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Often survivors are disappointed when they seek reimbursement of burial expenses for departed veterans. This is because retirees have not informed their loved ones what to do and how much to expect in the event of their demise. You may be eligible for a VA burial allowance if: • You paid for a veteran's burial or funeral ; AND, • You have not been reimbursed by another government agency or some other source, such as the deceased veteran's employer; AND, • The veteran was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. Following are the maximum benefits currently available from the VA: • Burial Allowance (SC): VA will pay a burial allowance up to $2,000 if the veteran’s death is service-connected. In such cases, the person who bore the veteran’s burial expenses may claim reimbursement from VA. In some cases, VA will pay the cost of transporting the remains of a service-connected veteran to the nearest national cemetery with available gravesites. There is no time limit for filing reimbursement claims in service-connected death cases. • Burial Allowance (NSC): VA will pay a $300 burial and funeral allowance for veterans who, at time of death, were entitled to receive pension or compensation or would have been entitled if they weren’t receiving military retirement pay. Eligibility also may be established when death occurs in a VA facility, a VA-contracted nursing home or a state veterans nursing home. In non service-connected death cases, claims must be filed within two years after burial or cremation. • Plot Allowance: VA will pay a $300 plot allowance when a veteran is buried in a cemetery not under U.S. government jurisdiction if: the veteran was discharged from active duty because of disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty; the veteran was receiving compensation or pension or would have been if the veteran was not receiving military retired pay; or the veteran died in a VA facility. The $300 plot allowance may be paid to the state for the cost of a plot or interment in a state-owned cemetery reserved solely for veteran burials if the veteran is buried without charge. Burial expenses paid by the deceased’s employer or a state agency will not be reimbursed. • Headstones or markers: VA will provide headstones or markers to memorialize veterans or mark the graves of veterans buried in national, state, or private cemeteries as well as those whose remains have not been recovered or identified. This includes those buried at sea, those remains donated to science, and those cremated and whose cremated remains were scattered without burying any portion of them. VA will also provide markers for eligible family members interred in a national or State Veteran's Cemetery. When interment is in a private cemetery, the cemetery may require, and charge for, a foundation for the marker and installation of the marker. Such costs must be paid from private funds. • Flag: VA will provide an American flag, upon request, for covering the casket; and a memorial certificate, bearing the President's signature, expressing our Nation's grateful recognition of the deceased veteran's service. • Other: In addition to VA burial benefits, the surviving spouse or eligible child of a veteran may be eligible for a $255 lump-sum death benefit from Social Security. Local Social Security Offices have details. Source: VA Federal Benefits for Veterans & Dependents 2008 Edition http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:jziXJF0dLokJ:www1.va.gov/opa/vadocs/fedben.pdf+VA+Federal+Benefits+for+Veterans+%26+Dependents+2008+Edition&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&ie=UTF-8
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