Veterans Burial Allowance and Transportation: Who Can Claim It, How Much, and How to Apply

Who can claim it

The VA says the claim can come from the surviving spouse, a child, a parent, the executor, another family member, a friend, or a representative of a funeral home who paid the costs. The VA says it pays back costs the claimant paid directly, if the receipt is in that person’s name. An eligible surviving spouse listed on the veteran’s VA profile is paid a set amount automatically, with no claim, when the VA is notified of the death. The VA page does not say exactly who counts as eligible or give the amount, so call the VA before counting on it.

When the veteran qualifies

The veteran must not have received a dishonorable discharge, and must meet at least one of these conditions:

• The death resulted from a service-connected disability.
• The veteran died while getting VA care, at a VA facility or one contracted by VA.
• The veteran died while traveling, with authorization and at VA’s expense, to or from a facility.
• The veteran died with an original or reopened claim for VA compensation or pension pending.
• The veteran was receiving VA pension or compensation.
• The veteran was eligible for compensation or pension at death but was instead receiving full military retirement or disability pay.

The VA says a person who died on active duty, while serving in Congress, or while in federal incarceration does not qualify for this allowance.

Source: VA.gov, veterans burial allowance.

How much it pays

These are fixed payments, not a full reimbursement, so a family may receive less than it paid. The allowance covers cremation and burial at sea, as well as burial, and it can also apply to donation of the body to a medical school.

Source: VA.gov, veterans burial allowance.

Transportation of remains

The VA may pay back some or all of the cost of moving a veteran’s remains, but only in certain cases:

• The veteran died in VA care. The veteran was hospitalized or in a VA-contracted nursing home at the time of death, or died while traveling to VA-authorized care.
• The death was service-connected and the burial is in a VA national cemetery. Federal rules also cover moving the remains to a national cemetery in that case, and when the veteran died outside the United States.

A death at home from age or illness usually does not qualify. The VA reimburses costs the claimant paid directly, with a receipt in that person’s name, so keep itemized receipts.

This matters in Utah when a family is weighing the Utah Veterans Cemetery in Bluffdale against the Southern Utah National Cemetery in Cedar City, which is a long way from Salt Lake County. Before you pay for long-distance transport with reimbursement in mind, call the VA benefits line to ask whether your situation qualifies. See national cemeteries in Utah.

Sources: VA.gov, veterans burial allowance; 38 CFR 3.1709, transportation expenses for burial.

How to apply

• Online: apply through VA.gov.
• By mail: complete VA Form 21P-530EZ and send it to the Pension Intake Center, PO Box 5365, Janesville, WI 53547-5365.
• Documents: a death certificate showing cause of death, itemized receipts for funeral, burial, and any transportation, and the DD-214 or separation papers (recommended).

Deadlines

• Service-connected death: no time limit.
• Non-service-connected death: within two years of the burial.
• Exceptions: the VA lists exceptions for deaths in VA care, and no time limit for plot and transportation claims.

Source: VA.gov, veterans burial allowance.

What the funeral home may or may not handle

A funeral home may help with the claim form, give you itemized receipts, and send paperwork. The VA also lets a funeral home representative file the claim when the funeral home paid the costs. The VA still decides whether the allowance applies and how much it pays, and the funeral home can’t promise a payment. Ask before you sign whether the funeral home expects the family to pay in full now and claim the allowance later.

Where to get official help