How to apply for a Veterans burial allowance
Find out how to get Veterans burial allowances (sometimes called “Veterans death benefits”) to help cover burial, funeral, and transportation costs.
Am I eligible for allowances to help pay for a Veteran’s burial and funeral costs?
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
Note: We’ll also provide an allowance for the cost of transporting a Veteran’s remains for burial in a national cemetery.
You can’t get burial allowances for certain individuals
We don’t provide burial allowances if the individual died in any of these ways:
- On active duty, or
- While serving as a member of Congress, or
- While serving a federal prison sentence
What kind of burial benefits can I get?
If you’re eligible, you may receive these benefits:
- VA burial allowance for burial and funeral costs
- VA plot or interment allowance for the cost of the plot (gravesite) or interment
- VA transportation reimbursement for the cost of transporting the Veteran’s remains to the final resting place
Note: You’ll need to pay for these services or other costs first before you apply for an allowance.
Is there a time limit for filing?
You must file a claim for a non-service-connected burial allowance within 2 years after the Veteran’s burial or cremation. If a Veteran’s discharge was changed after death from dishonorable to another status, you must file for an allowance claim within 2 years after the discharge update.
There’s no time limit to file for a service-connected burial, plot, or interment allowance.
What documents do I need to send with my application?
You’ll need to send copies of these documents:
- The Veteran’s military discharge papers (DD214 or other separation documents)
- The Veteran’s death certificate
- Any documents or receipts you have for the cost of transporting the Veteran’s remains
- A statement of account (preferably with the letterhead of the funeral director or cemetery owner)
The statement of account should include this information:
- The Veteran’s name
- The type of service or item purchased
- Any credits
- The unpaid balance
As a surviving spouse, do I need to file a claim for burial costs?
No, you don’t need to file a claim as a surviving spouse, as long as you’re listed as the Veteran’s spouse on the Veteran’s profile. When we receive notice of the Veteran’s death, we automatically pay a set amount to those eligible surviving spouses to help pay for the plot, the cost of interment, or transportation of the remains to the cemetery.
You can also apply:
By mail
Apply by mail using an Application for Burial Benefits (VA Form 21P-530EZ).
Download VA Form 21P-530EZ (PDF)
Mail the application and other documents listed above to your nearest VA regional office.
Find your nearest VA regional office
If you have questions, call 800-827-1000 (TTY: 711). We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET. Or call your VA regional office.
Burial allowance amounts
What are the burial allowance amounts for a service-connected death?
Status | Maximum burial allowance (in U.S. $) |
---|---|
If the Veteran died on or after September 11, 2001 | 2,000 |
If the Veteran died before September 11, 2001 | 1,500 |
If the Veteran is buried in a VA national cemetery | We may pay you back for some or all of the costs of moving the Veteran’s remains |
What are the burial allowance amounts for a non-service-connected death?
Status | Maximum burial allowance |
---|---|
If the Veteran died on or after January 5, 2023 | We’ll pay a $893 burial allowance and $893 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2022, but before January 5, 2023 | We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $893 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2021, but before October 1, 2022 | We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $828 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2020, but before October 1, 2021 | We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $807 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2019, but before October 1, 2020 | We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $796 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2018, but before October 1, 2019 | We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $780 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2017, but before October 1, 2018 | We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $762 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2016, but before October 1, 2017 | We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $749 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2015, but before October 1, 2016 | We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $747 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2014, but before October 1, 2015 | We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $745 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2013, but before October 1, 2014 | We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $734 for a plot |
Note: If a Veteran’s remains aren’t claimed, we’ll pay the person or organization responsible for the Veteran’s burial a burial allowance based on the rates in this table. If the deceased qualifies, we may pay you back for the costs of moving the Veteran’s remains to a VA national cemetery.
What are the burial allowance amounts for a non-service-connected death if the Veteran was hospitalized by VA at the time of their death?
Status | Maximum burial allowance |
---|---|
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2022 | We’ll pay a $893 burial allowance and $893 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2021, but before October 1, 2022 | We’ll pay a $828 burial allowance and $828 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2020, but before October 1, 2021 | We’ll pay a $807 burial allowance and $807 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2019, but before October 1, 2020 | We’ll pay a $796 burial allowance and $796 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2018, but before October 1, 2019 | We’ll pay a $780 burial allowance and $780 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2017, but before October 1, 2018 | We’ll pay a $762 burial allowance and $762 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2016, but before October 1, 2017 | We’ll pay a $749 burial allowance and $749 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2015, but before October 1, 2016 | We’ll pay a $747 burial allowance and $747 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2014, but before October 1, 2015 | We’ll pay a $745 burial allowance and $745 for a plot |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2013, but before October 1, 2014 | We’ll pay a $734 burial allowance and $734 for a plot |
We may also pay you back for some or all of the costs of moving the Veteran’s remains if one of these descriptions is true:
- The Veteran was hospitalized or in a VA-contracted nursing home at the time of death, or
- The Veteran died while traveling to VA-authorized care
Headstone or marker allowance amounts
Status | Maximum headstone or marker allowance (in U.S. $) |
---|---|
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2021 | 231 |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2020, but before October 1, 2021 | 231 |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2019, but before October 1, 2020 | 236 |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2018, but before October 1, 2019 | 290 |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2017, but before October 1, 2018 | 195 |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2016, but before October 1, 2017 | 208 |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2015, but before October 1, 2016 | 218 |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2014, but before October 1, 2015 | 199 |
If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2013, but before October 1, 2014 | 205 |