Help With Burial Expenses: SSA, VA, FEMA, and County Programs

Help with burial expenses comes from a patchwork of sources rather than a single program: Social Security pays a one-time $255, the VA covers part of a veteran’s funeral, counties bury people whose estates can’t pay, state crime victim funds step in when a death was violent, FEMA reimburses after declared disasters, and crowdfunding or nonprofits fill what’s left. A median funeral with burial runs around $8,300 before a plot or vault, so most families end up combining two or three of these sources and cutting costs where they can. The programs below are the ones worth applying to, with the deadlines that decide whether you actually collect.

Social Security’s $255 Death Payment

Social Security pays a one-time lump-sum death payment of $255 when someone who was fully or currently insured under the program dies.¹ The amount is small and hasn’t changed in decades, but it’s money you’re entitled to.

It goes first to a surviving spouse who was living in the same household at the time of death. A spouse who lived apart may still qualify if they were receiving benefits on the deceased person’s record. If there’s no eligible spouse, certain children can receive the payment: children age 17 or younger, full-time students ages 18 to 19, or adult children who developed a disability by age 21.²

Apply on Form SSA-8, available on the Social Security website or at a field office.³ You have two years from the date of death to file. Miss that and the benefit is gone.

VA Burial Benefits for Veterans

If the person who died served in the military, the VA can pay a burial allowance, a plot allowance, and transportation costs, and can bury the veteran at no charge in a national cemetery. The governing statute for non-service-connected deaths is 38 U.S.C. § 2303.⁴

For veterans 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 allowance when the veteran is not buried in a national cemetery.⁵ These figures are adjusted annually. When the death is service-connected, the allowance is significantly higher. The VA also reimburses the cost of transporting remains to a national cemetery, and there is no deadline for filing a transportation claim.⁶

To qualify for the non-service-connected burial allowance, the veteran generally must have been receiving VA disability compensation or pension at the time of death, or must have died in a VA facility. Veterans whose remains go unclaimed and whose estates lack sufficient funds for burial may also be covered.⁴

How to File

Use VA Form 21P-530EZ.⁷ Submit it online through VA.gov or mail it to the Pension Intake Center in Janesville, Wisconsin, with an itemized receipt from the funeral home.⁵ The deadline for the non-service-connected burial allowance is two years from the date of burial.⁶ Service-connected burial claims and transportation claims have no filing deadline.

Free National Cemetery Burial

Eligible veterans, their spouses, and certain dependents can be buried at no charge in a VA national cemetery. The VA provides the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, a headstone or marker, and perpetual care. This is often the single most valuable burial benefit available, because it wipes out plot and marker costs that can otherwise run several thousand dollars. Burial in a national cemetery does not disqualify the family from also collecting the burial allowance for other funeral costs.

FEMA Assistance After a Declared Disaster

When the president declares a major disaster, FEMA can reimburse funeral expenses for deaths caused by that disaster. Under the COVID-19 program, FEMA paid roughly $3.26 billion across more than 506,000 approved applications, covering expenses up to $9,000 per funeral.⁸ That specific program has closed, but the underlying authority remains available for future declared disasters.⁹

If a future federally declared disaster is the cause of death, hold on to the death certificate (which should list the disaster-related cause), itemized funeral receipts, and proof of payment. FEMA won’t pay for costs another government agency or organization has already reimbursed. Application windows vary by declaration, so check FEMA.gov soon after any declared event.

County Indigent Burial Programs

Every state has a legal framework requiring local governments to handle burial or cremation for people who die without enough assets or family support to cover the costs. Programs go by different names, including indigent burial, public assistance burial, and county disposition, but the purpose is the same.

To qualify, the estate is typically evaluated and found to have insufficient funds. County officials or a social services office will look at whether any relatives can pay before authorizing public money. Eligibility thresholds are usually tied to local income limits or poverty guidelines. In some places, the death has to occur within the county’s borders; others require local residency.

Services are minimal by design. Expect a basic casket or cremation container and a designated plot or contracted cremation. Budgets in many jurisdictions run from about $500 to $1,500 per case, though amounts vary. Families who want a viewing, a specific cemetery, or personal touches will need to add their own money. The county social services office or medical examiner’s office can explain the local process.

Medicaid-Linked State Burial Help

A handful of states run burial assistance programs tied to Medicaid. They help cover funeral and cemetery costs for people who were receiving certain categories of Medicaid at death, often coverage for aged, blind, or disabled individuals. Benefits are modest, usually a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars. Not every state offers this, so if the deceased was a Medicaid recipient, ask the state Medicaid agency.

Crime Victim Compensation for Violent-Crime Deaths

If a family member died as a result of a violent crime, every state runs a crime victim compensation program that can pay funeral costs. These programs trace back to the federal Victims of Crime Act of 1984, which created the Crime Victims Fund and distributes money to states.¹⁰

These funds are the payer of last resort. You must exhaust other sources first, including life insurance, burial insurance, and any civil settlement or restitution. If other benefits arrive after the fund has paid, you may have to repay the overlap. The crime also has to have been reported to law enforcement within the state’s required window, often 72 hours, though extensions are sometimes granted.

Maximum funeral benefits vary by state, with most programs capping coverage somewhere between $3,000 and $7,500. The state attorney general’s office or the state victim compensation program has the application and current limits. You’ll submit a police report number, the death certificate, and itemized funeral expenses. Deadlines vary but are often one to three years from the crime.

Crowdfunding and Nonprofit Help

Online crowdfunding has become one of the most practical ways to close the gap between what government programs pay and what a funeral actually costs. Platforms like GoFundMe host thousands of funeral fundraisers at any time. Money raised this way is generally treated as a gift for tax purposes, meaning the recipient typically does not owe income tax on contributions from individual donors. The IRS has noted, however, that crowdfunding proceeds can be taxable depending on the circumstances, so keep records of all contributions received.¹¹

Several nonprofits also give direct financial help or connect families to low-cost options. The Funeral Consumers Alliance offers educational resources and referrals to affordable providers. Some faith-based and community organizations keep emergency funds specifically for burial costs. A hospital social worker, hospice coordinator, or the local 211 helpline is often the fastest route to these resources.

Cutting the Bill With the FTC Funeral Rule

Every dollar of assistance goes further if the funeral itself costs less. The FTC’s Funeral Rule requires every funeral provider to hand you an itemized General Price List the moment you ask about arrangements.¹² Your rights under the rule:

You can pick individual goods and services instead of a pre-packaged bundle. The only mandatory charge is the funeral home’s basic services fee.
Embalming is not required by law in most situations, and the funeral home must disclose that on the price list. For direct cremation or immediate burial, it adds hundreds of dollars for no purpose.
Funeral homes cannot require you to buy a casket for direct cremation. They must offer an alternative container, such as an unfinished wood box, at a fraction of a casket price.¹³
A funeral home must accept a casket you purchased elsewhere without charging a handling fee.

Direct cremation is the biggest single cost-reduction lever. Without a viewing, embalming, or elaborate casket, total costs typically run $500 to $2,500. Compared with the $8,000-plus median for a traditional burial funeral, that’s often the difference between covering the bill with assistance and going into debt.

Documents to Gather Once

Almost every program asks for the same core paperwork. Pulling it together at the start saves you from re-doing the work for each application:

Certified copies of the death certificate. Order several at once from the vital records office; fees typically run $15 to $35 per copy depending on the state, and you’ll need more than you expect.
Social Security numbers for you and the deceased.
An itemized funeral invoice showing each charge. The VA and FEMA both require this, and it helps with victim compensation claims.
Proof of payment: receipts, bank statements, or credit card records showing who paid.
Military discharge papers (DD-214) for any VA claim. Missing copies can be requested from the National Archives.
Financial records, including bank statements, tax returns, and life insurance information, to show financial need where programs require it.

Social Security uses Form SSA-8.¹⁴ The VA uses Form 21P-530EZ.⁷ State and county programs have their own applications, usually through the local social services office.

Deadlines That Forfeit Money If You Miss Them

Agencies do not make exceptions on filing deadlines. The two you cannot miss:

Social Security lump-sum death payment: two years from the date of death.²
VA non-service-connected burial allowance: two years from the date of burial.⁶

VA claims for service-connected burial benefits and transportation reimbursement have no filing deadline.⁶ Crime victim compensation deadlines vary by state but are often one to three years from the crime. FEMA deadlines depend on the specific disaster declaration. Filing sooner is always better; agencies process claims in the order received and often request additional documentation that takes time to gather.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 U.S.C. 402 – Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Benefit Payments
2
Social Security Administration. Lump-Sum Death Payment
3
Social Security Administration. Application for Lump-Sum Death Payment
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 U.S.C. 2303 – Death From Non-Service-Connected Disability; Plot Allowance
5
Veterans Affairs. Veterans Burial Allowance and Transportation Benefits
6
eCFR. 38 CFR 3.1703 – Claims for Burial Benefits
7
Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Form 21P-530EZ – Application for Burial Benefits
8
FEMA.gov. FEMA Policy: COVID-19 Funeral Assistance
9
FEMA.gov. COVID-19 Funeral Assistance
10
Office for Victims of Crime. State Crime Victim Compensation and Assistance Grant Programs
11
IRS. Money Received Through Crowdfunding May Be Taxable
12
Federal Trade Commission. Funeral Industry Practices Rule
13
Federal Trade Commission. Complying With the Funeral Rule
14
Social Security Administration. Information You Need to Apply for Lump Sum Death Benefit