VA Burial Benefits: Clarifying Timeframes for Claim Submission

The Veterans Affairs office recently announced expanded burial benefits available to veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors. 

These benefits encompass various end-of-life expenses, including gravesite arrangements, burial services, funerals, and the transportation of remains to their final resting place.

VA Under Secretary for Benefits, Joshua Jacobs, emphasized the significance of these expanded benefits in ensuring veterans are honored appropriately and providing support to their loved ones during the challenging period of loss.

Eligibility for VA burial benefits extends to a wide range of individuals, including surviving spouses or legal partners, surviving children, parents, or the executor of the veteran’s estate. Additionally, benefits may extend to funeral homes or third parties handling burial arrangements for veterans with unclaimed remains.

For those seeking assistance with burial, funeral, and transportation costs for veterans, eligibility for Veterans burial allowances, also known as Veterans death benefits, hinges on specific criteria and relationships with the veteran.

Essential Documents for VA Burial Benefits Application

Qualified individuals may receive benefits such as a VA burial allowance covering burial and funeral expenses, a plot or interment allowance for burial plot costs, and reimbursement for transportation expenses to the veteran’s final resting place. 

These benefits apply to various legal burial types, including cremation, burial at sea, and donation of remains to medical schools.

However, it’s essential to be mindful of time limits when filing a claim. Claims for non-service-connected burial allowances must be filed within two years after the veteran’s burial, while there’s no time limit for claims related to service-connected burial, plot, or interment allowances.

To apply for these benefits, specific documentation is required, including the veteran’s military discharge papers, death certificate, documents or receipts for transporting remains, and a statement of account from the funeral director or cemetery owner.

These allowances serve as a crucial means of providing support and assistance to those tasked with honoring and laying to rest the nation’s veterans, ensuring they receive the recognition and dignity they deserve.