Planning a funeral for someone who has served in the armed forces? There are a few things that you may want to consider when organizing their funeral service.

Whether they have passed away in combat or died of old age, there could be certain VA benefits that you and your loved one are entitled to in order to help with the funeral. On top of this, there could be ways of honoring their time in the military such as opting for a flag-draped coffin or veteran grave markers.

This post explains more about some of the important details worth considering when planning a funeral for a veteran.

Are you eligible for a veteran’s burial allowance?

Funerals are very expensive these days. Fortunately, if your loved one was a veteran, you may be able to pay for some of the funeral using a veteran’s burial allowance.

These allowances will not cover the entire cost of the funeral but can still be helpful for saving you some money. How much you are eligible for depends on how your loved one passed away and how they spent their time in the military.

• If it was a service-related death, you could be eligible for up to $2000 (up to $1500 if it was a death before September 11th 2001). 
• If a veteran passed away in a VA hospital, you are likely eligible for an allowance between $700 and $1400. 
• Veterans that did not pass away in a VA hospital are meanwhile eligible for a $300 allowance to go towards burial and funeral expenses and an additional $300 allowance for a cemetery plot.

Veterans must not have been dishonorably discharged in order to qualify for these allowances. You can learn more here about veterans burial allowances. 

Should you choose a VA National Cemetery for burial?

Any veteran that was not dishonorably discharged can be buried in a VA National Cemetery. Service members who died in action, spouses of veterans and dependents are also eligible to be buried in these cemeteries. 

There are 155 VA National Cemeteries across the US. When you choose to have your loved one buried at one of these cemeteries, you can rest assured that their grave marker will be cleaned and maintained. Transportation of the body to the cemetery is also likely to be mostly paid for by the VA. 

It’s worth noting that your loved one does not have to be laid to rest in VA National Cemetery. In fact, you can choose to bury your loved one anywhere that a non-veteran can be buried. This is sometimes preferable for those who do not live near a VA National Cemetery and therefore cannot visit their loved one’s grave regularly. Veterans also do not have to be buried and can be chosen to be cremated if preferred.

Will it be a military funeral? 

You can choose to hold a regular funeral for a loved one who is a veteran, or you can choose to hold a military funeral. The latter option involves various military funeral honors. These include:

• The option of a flag-draped casket
• The option of hiring military service members to present the flag and  carry the casket
• The option of hiring a military brass player to play the ‘Taps’ bugle call
• The option of hiring military service members to fire volley shots
• The option of hiring military service members to perform drumming

Military service members that attend funerals are typically referred to as military honor guards. You can hire serving soldiers, veterans or reserves to carry out this role. It is best to ask a funeral director to help arrange the hiring of military service members unless you know of friends or family members who have also served who may be able to carry out these duties.

Should you choose a veteran’s casket?

Caskets come in many different styles. As an added way of honoring a veteran’s service, some people choose specialist caskets for their loved ones that may have a military theme. This could be an alternative to wrapping the casket with a flag, or it could be done in conjunction with the draping of a flag.

Military caskets may contain specific seals or may be patterned with specific camo to represent a branch of the military. These caskets are often custom-designed. The VA may be able to help you when identifying the right seal or camo to use on your loved one’s casket.

Should you choose veteran grave markers?

Special grave markers can also be used to identify that your loved one was a veteran. Such headstones are typically made from marble or granite with bronze niche markers or a bronze plaque. Religious symbols are often used on these headstones but do not have to be included if your loved one was not religious. You do not have to use these grave markers if you are burying your loved one in a regular cemetery, but may be encouraged to do so when burying your loved one in a VA National Cemetery. 

The VA is able to provide headstones free of charge to applicants. A cemetery can arrange this or you can submit a VA form online. You can explore veteran grave markers by Memorials.com and other headstone manufacturers online. 

What benefits are available for survivors?

If you are a spouse or a dependent child of a veteran that has passed away, it’s worth noting that there may be many benefits you are entitled to. As with benefits above, this does depend on whether your loved one was honorably discharged and the circumstances of their passing.

For example, you may be eligible for tax reliefs as a result of the HEART act. If a survivor benefit plan was in place, you could also continue to receive an annuity payment. Meanwhile, if you’re the survivor of a service member that died in the line of duty or passed away as a result of a service-related injury or illness, you may be eligible for VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (VA DIC). You can find more information on all of these benefits here at the VA website VA.gov.