Veteran Burial Benefits & the Pre-Need Process

Planning Ahead Is One of the Kindest Things You Can Do

Arranging a burial is hard enough without also trying to learn the rules in the middle of grief. The good news: most of the important decisions can be made in advance, and many burial benefits for veterans and their families are provided at no cost. This guide explains what is available, who qualifies, how the pre-need process works step by step, and the time frames that matter.

VetUnlock is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Always confirm the details below with the VA or your chosen national cemetery before you rely on them.

Two Ways to Arrange a VA Burial

There are two paths, and it helps to know the difference:

• Pre-need — You confirm eligibility before it is needed, so your family is not gathering paperwork during a difficult time.
• At-need — Your family arranges the burial at the time of death by calling the National Cemetery Scheduling Office.

Pre-need planning does not replace the at-need call, but it removes the hardest part — proving eligibility — from that moment.

What VA Burial Benefits Include

For burial in a VA national cemetery, the following are provided at no cost to the family:

Eligible spouses and dependent children may be buried in a national cemetery even if they die before the veteran.

What the VA does not pay for: the casket or urn, funeral home services, cremation, and other private funeral costs. The burial allowance (below) exists to help offset some of those expenses.

Who Is Eligible

Some people are not eligible, including anyone with a dishonorable discharge, a final conviction for a capital crime, certain Tier III sex-offense life sentences, or a conviction for subversive activity after September 1, 1959 (unless pardoned).

Eligibility also extends to several special categories (National Guard and Reserve members, ROTC, certain Merchant Mariners, and others). Check the VA eligibility page for your specific situation.

The Pre-Need Eligibility Process, Step by Step

The VA's Pre-Need Burial Eligibility Determination program lets a veteran — or an eligible family member — confirm eligibility in advance.

1. Complete VA Form 40-10007, "Application for Pre-Need Determination of Eligibility for Burial in a VA National Cemetery." You can apply online or on paper. Start here.
2. Gather proof of military service — a DD Form 214 if you have it. If it is missing, the VA will try to locate the records for you.
3. Submit the application to the NCA Evidence Intake Center by fax at 1-855-840-8299 or by mail at PO Box 5237, Janesville, WI 53547 (or submit it online).
4. Receive the decision letter. If eligible, the letter confirms your entitlement to burial benefits at no cost — the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a headstone or marker, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate.
5. Save the letter and tell your family where it is. Keep a copy of everything you submitted, and let loved ones or your estate planner know where to find it.

One thing pre-need does not do: it does not reserve a specific cemetery or gravesite. Gravesites cannot be reserved in advance; the VA assigns one from available space at the time of need. The VA also re-checks the determination against the laws in effect at the time of burial — so keep the decision letter, but understand it confirms eligibility, not a particular plot.

There is no published, guaranteed processing time for a pre-need decision, which is exactly why it is worth doing early — well before it is needed.

Burial Allowances: Help With Funeral Costs

Separate from the cemetery benefits, the VA offers a burial allowance to help pay funeral and burial expenses. It is claimed on VA Form 21P-530EZ.

As of the rates effective October 1, 2025, the general amounts are:

If the veteran's death was service-connected, a higher burial allowance may be available. Because these figures change each fiscal year, confirm the current amounts on the VA burial allowance page before you rely on them.

Who can file: a surviving spouse, a legal partner, children, parents, the estate's representative, or the funeral home. In many cases a surviving spouse does not need to file at all — the VA automatically pays an eligible surviving spouse who is already listed on the veteran's profile.

Deadlines and Time Frames to Know

Timing is where families most often get tripped up. Here is the picture:

Headstones, Flags, and Military Honors

• Government headstone or marker — Request it with VA Form 40-1330. It is available for eligible veterans in national, state, tribal, or private cemeteries, and a bronze medallion is available for a privately purchased marker (call 800-697-6947 for help). For a private cemetery, the headstone is provided at no cost, but the family arranges its placement. A memorial headstone is available when remains were not recovered, were buried at sea, donated to science, or scattered.
• Burial flag — Provided at no cost to drape the casket or accompany the urn, using VA Form 27-2008. It is given to the next of kin afterward.
• Presidential Memorial Certificate — An engraved certificate honoring the veteran, available to the family on request.
• Military funeral honors (the flag folding, "Taps," and, when available, a rifle party) are provided by the Department of Defense, not the VA. Ask your funeral director to arrange them, or call 1-877-MIL-HONR (1-877-645-4667).

National, State, and Arlington Cemeteries

• VA national cemeteries are open to eligible veterans and their families nationwide, subject to available space.
• State and tribal veterans cemeteries offer similar benefits but often add a residency requirement, and the rules for spouses can differ.
• Arlington National Cemetery is run by the Army, not the VA, and has much stricter eligibility. The VA pre-need program does not apply there — contact Arlington directly at arlingtoncemetery.mil.

At the Time of Death: What Your Family Does

1. Call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (TTY: 711), Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–7:30 p.m. ET. Your funeral director can also make this call.
2. Have the documents ready: the veteran's DD Form 214 or discharge papers, the death certificate, proof of relationship, and the veteran's Social Security or military service number.
3. Send the discharge papers by fax to 866-900-6417 or by email to NCA.Scheduling@va.gov, with the veteran's name in the subject line.
4. Confirm the arrangements. The scheduling office assigns a cemetery and gravesite from available space and coordinates the date with the funeral home.

Keeping the veteran's DD Form 214 somewhere your family can find it is one of the simplest, most helpful things you can do today.

Quick Reference

Get Help Finding Everything You Qualify For

Burial and memorial benefits are only one part of what a veteran and their survivors may be entitled to. Use VetUnlock to see the federal, state, and local benefits available in your situation — including survivor benefits your family should know about.

VetUnlock is an independent informational resource and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Benefit rules and dollar amounts change; always verify current details with the VA or your chosen national cemetery before making decisions.