Do Veterans Get Buried for Free? VA Coverage, Costs, and Eligibility

Whether veterans get buried for free depends on where the burial happens and what “free” means to the family. In a VA national cemetery, an eligible veteran’s gravesite, grave liner, opening and closing, headstone, and burial flag are all provided at no cost. The funeral itself is not. Families still pay the funeral home for the casket or urn, preparation of remains, the director’s services, and transportation to the cemetery. In a private cemetery, coverage shrinks to a modest cash allowance and a government headstone.

What the VA Covers at No Cost

Burial in one of the roughly 155 VA national cemeteries includes the following at no charge to the family:¹

The gravesite, including perpetual grounds care
A concrete grave liner
Opening and closing of the grave
A government-furnished upright headstone, flat marker, or niche cover
A U.S. burial flag presented to the next of kin
A Presidential Memorial Certificate

A spouse or dependent child buried in the same cemetery is also covered at no cost, and their inscription is added to the veteran’s headstone with no fee.¹

What the Family Still Pays

Everything on the funeral-home side of the ledger. That means the casket or urn, embalming or other preparation, the funeral director’s professional fees, viewing or service costs, and transporting the remains from the place of death to the national cemetery. A typical funeral with viewing and burial runs somewhere in the range of $8,000 to $9,000 nationally, and most of that sits with the funeral home rather than the cemetery. The VA benefit removes the cemetery bill; it does not remove the funeral bill.

Who Qualifies

The core requirement is a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable. For anyone whose active duty began after September 7, 1980 (enlisted) or October 16, 1981 (officers), at least 24 continuous months of active service is normally required, unless the veteran served the full period they were called up for.² Service members who die on active duty qualify automatically, regardless of time served.

Reserve and National Guard members qualify under narrower conditions: they must have earned retirement pay eligibility through 20 years of qualifying service (even if they died before age 60), or have died or been disabled from an injury or disease during active duty for training or inactive duty training.³

Spouses, surviving spouses (including those who later remarried), and minor children of eligible veterans also qualify. Unmarried adult children who became permanently disabled before adulthood may qualify at the VA’s discretion.³

Discharges That Fall in Between

A general discharge under honorable conditions qualifies. A dishonorable discharge from a general court-martial does not. Other-than-honorable, bad conduct, and undesirable discharges are handled case by case through a character-of-discharge determination by the VA’s regional office.² Recent regulatory changes have opened access for some veterans previously barred, particularly those discharged under policies related to sexual orientation or whose misconduct involved compelling circumstances. A veteran who received a negative character-of-discharge ruling in the past can submit a supplemental claim for reevaluation.

If the Burial Is in a Private Cemetery

Choosing a private cemetery, whether for a family plot or simply for proximity, changes the math. The VA does not pay for the plot, vault, or cemetery fees. Instead, it offers allowances that reimburse part of the cost after the family pays upfront.

For veterans whose death was not service-connected and who died on or after October 1, 2025, the VA pays up to $1,002 as a burial allowance and up to $1,002 as a plot-interment allowance, for a combined maximum of $2,004.⁴ These figures adjust for inflation each year. To collect the non-service-connected allowance, the veteran must generally have been receiving VA pension or disability compensation at the time of death, or have died while hospitalized by the VA, among other qualifying circumstances.

If the death was service-connected, the maximum burial allowance is $2,000, and the VA may reimburse the cost of transporting remains to the nearest national cemetery with available space.⁴⁵

Claim the allowance using VA Form 21P-530EZ, filed online, by mail, or by fax. Include a certified death certificate, proof of military service, and itemized receipts.⁶ For non-service-connected deaths, the VA must receive the claim within two years of burial; miss the window and the benefit is forfeited.⁷ There is no time limit for service-connected death claims or for plot and transportation reimbursements.

Headstones and Markers Anywhere

The VA provides a government headstone, flat marker, or medallion at no cost for any eligible veteran’s grave, national or private cemetery. For private burials, the choices include upright marble or granite headstones, flat granite, marble, or bronze markers, and bronze medallions that attach to a privately purchased stone.⁸⁹¹⁰

A cost that catches families off guard: the VA ships the marker for free, but private cemeteries usually charge to set and install it. Ask the cemetery upfront what the placement fee is and how it compares to the fee for a privately purchased stone.¹¹

Military Funeral Honors Are Free Too

Federal law requires the Department of Defense to provide at least a two-person uniformed detail for any eligible veteran’s funeral at no cost. The ceremony includes the playing of Taps and the ceremonial folding and presentation of the flag to the next of kin.¹² A live bugler is preferred; a ceremonial bugle or recording may be used otherwise.

Families usually arrange honors through their funeral director, who contacts the appropriate service branch. When there’s no funeral home involved (a family holding a burial ceremony with cremated remains, for instance), the family can contact the veteran’s branch casualty office directly.¹³ Honors are available at national, state, and private cemeteries alike.

Arlington Is a Special Case

Arlington National Cemetery runs on its own, stricter rules. Most veterans who meet the standard VA eligibility rules can be placed in Arlington’s above-ground columbarium, but in-ground casket burial is reserved for a much smaller group.¹⁴ In-ground burial at Arlington requires at least one of the following:

Death on active duty under federal orders (not training-only status)
Retirement from active duty with military retirement pay
Award of the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross (or Navy or Air Force equivalent), Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, or Purple Heart
Former prisoner of war status, with honorable service, who died on or after November 30, 1993

A veteran who served four years, received an honorable discharge, and left without retirement pay or a listed award would qualify for the columbarium at Arlington and for full in-ground burial at any other open national cemetery. Confirm eligibility with Arlington directly before planning.

Locking In Eligibility Before You Need It

Families can settle the eligibility question in advance with a pre-need determination. It doesn’t reserve a plot or a specific cemetery, but it creates a verified record so no one is hunting for discharge papers in the days after a death. Submit VA Form 40-10007 by fax to 855-840-8299 or by mail to the NCA FP Evidence Intake Center, PO Box 5237, Janesville, WI 53547, with a copy of the DD Form 214 if available. The VA will attempt to find service records if they can’t be located.¹⁵

The VA sends a written eligibility determination back. Keep the letter somewhere the family can find it. At the time of death, the funeral director or family calls the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET) and references the pre-need approval. Discharge papers can be faxed to 866-900-6417 or emailed to NCA.Scheduling@va.gov with the veteran’s name in the subject line.¹⁶ The VA assigns the actual gravesite based on availability at the time of scheduling.¹⁵

Most states also operate their own veterans cemeteries, which generally provide a free plot, headstone, and opening and closing for eligible veterans, mirroring the federal benefits. Many impose residency requirements that federal cemeteries do not, and rules for spouses and dependents vary.¹⁷ A state veterans cemetery can be a strong option when the nearest national cemetery is far away or short on space. Check with your state’s Department of Veterans Affairs for specifics.

1
National Cemetery Administration. Burial and Memorial Benefits
2
National Cemetery Administration. Eligibility – National Cemetery Administration
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 2402 – Persons Eligible for Interment in National Cemeteries
4
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans Burial Allowance and Transportation Benefits
5
eCFR. Burial Benefits – Allowances and Expenses Paid by VA
6
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Apply for Burial Benefits (VA Form 21P-530EZ)
7
eCFR. 38 CFR Part 3 Subpart B – Burial Benefits General
8
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans Headstones, Markers, Plaques and Urns
9
Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Form 40-1330 – Claim for Standard Government Headstone or Marker
10
Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Form 40-1330M – Claim for Government Medallion for Placement in a Private Cemetery
11
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Burial in a Private Cemetery
12
Military OneSource. What to Expect During Military Funeral Honors
13
Military OneSource. Military Funeral Honors Frequently Asked Questions Brochure
14
Arlington National Cemetery. Establishing Eligibility
15
National Cemetery Administration. Pre-Need Burial Eligibility Determination
16
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Schedule a Burial for a Veteran or Family Member
17
National Cemetery Administration. Veterans Cemetery Grants Program – Information Kit