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- Who should the families contact to make funeral arrangements?
A:
The VA does not make funeral arrangements or perform cremations. Families should make these arrangements through Milward Funeral Directors. Any item or service obtained from a funeral home or cremation office will be at the expense of the family.
- What burial benefits are veterans entitled to receive?
- What burial benefits are spouses and dependents of veterans entitled to receive?
A:
Burial benefits available for spouses and dependents buried in a national cemetery include burial with the Veteran, perpetual care, and the spouse or dependents name and date of birth and death will be inscribed on the Veteran's headstone, at no cost to the family. Eligible spouses and dependents may be buried, even if they predecease the Veteran.
- Can a veteran and his/her spouse or dependents be buried in a private cemetery and still receive burial benefits?
- Who is not eligible for burial benefits?
A:
Persons not eligible for burial in a VA National Cemetery include:
1. Former spouses;
2. Family members not defined as eligible, veterans who separate from Armed Forces dishonorably or whose character bars them from veterans benefits;
3. Person who was ordered to report to an induction station, but was not actually inducted into military service;
4. Person found guilty of capital crime;
5. Any person convicted of subversive activities after September 1, 1959. Eligibility will be reinstated if the President of the United States grants a pardon;
6. A person whose only service is active duty for training or inactive duty training in the National Guard or Reserve Component, unless the individual meets the eligibility criteria listed in Section III.1.b. of this information sheet.
7. Members of groups whose service has been determined by the Secretary of the Air Force under the provisions of Public Law 95-202 as not warranting entitlement to benefits administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
- Can you prearrange burial in a VA national cemetery?
A:
Gravesites in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national cemeteries cannot be reserved in advance; however, reservations made prior to 1962 will be honored. Families are encouraged to prepare in advance by discussing cemetery options, collecting the Veteran's military information including discharge papers, and by contacting the cemetery where burial is desired.
- If burial is in a private cemetery should I request a headstone or marker in advance?
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