VA National Cemeteries: Eligibility and Burial Benefits

If a death has occurred, call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117, or ask the funeral director to call. For advance planning while the person is alive, use a pre-need eligibility application instead. An eligible national-cemetery burial includes the gravesite and cemetery services, but it does not pay every funeral-home bill.

The two decisions to separate are eligibility for a national-cemetery burial and eligibility for a cash burial allowance. A family may qualify for the cemetery benefit without qualifying for the allowance.

Eligibility for Burial in a National Cemetery

Veterans, qualifying service members, spouses, and certain children may be eligible. The service record and family relationship determine the answer; a disability compensation award is not a prerequisite.

Veteran Eligibility

Generally, a veteran is eligible if they meet the following criteria:

Service Requirement: Served in the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force).
Discharge Type: VA applies service and character-of-discharge requirements; eligibility is not limited to a discharge labeled "honorable." VA lists dishonorable conditions as disqualifying and makes eligibility determinations for other-than-honorable, bad-conduct, or mixed discharge histories. Ask the Scheduling Office to review all service periods and discharge records for the person's circumstances.
Minimum Service: For those who enlisted after September 7, 1980, or entered active duty after October 16, 1981, they must have completed 24 continuous months of active duty or the full period for which they were called to active duty. Exceptions include qualifying active-duty deaths and service-connected deaths; other exceptions may also apply. If service was shorter, ask the Scheduling Office to check the full called-up period and applicable exception.
Reserve/National Guard: A qualifying federal active-duty period, eligibility for Reserve retirement pay (including those not yet 60), or certain deaths or disabilities related to training can qualify. Weekend drills alone do not automatically qualify, and retirement is not the only possible pathway.

Spouse Eligibility

The spouse of an eligible veteran is also eligible for burial in a national cemetery, regardless of whether the veteran is buried in a national cemetery or elsewhere. This includes:

Current Spouses: A person who was married to an eligible veteran at the time of the veteran's death.
Surviving Spouses: A surviving spouse may remain eligible even after remarrying following the Veteran's death. Do not apply a remarriage restriction from another benefit program to national-cemetery burial.
Former Spouses: Divorce or annulment is a different situation. A former spouse who is not independently eligible as a Veteran generally cannot qualify through that ended marriage.

Important: A spouse does not need to be interred at the same time as the veteran. They can be buried later, even if the veteran is buried in a private cemetery.

Dependent Child Eligibility

Dependent children of an eligible veteran may also be eligible for burial in a national cemetery under specific conditions:

Age: Unmarried children under 21 years of age, or under 23 years of age if pursuing a full-time course of instruction at an approved educational institution.
Disability: Unmarried adult children of any age who became permanently physically or mentally disabled and incapable of self-support before reaching 21 years of age (or 23 if a full-time student).

National Cemetery vs. State Veterans Cemetery

While VA National Cemeteries are federally operated, State Veterans Cemeteries are managed by individual states. Eligibility criteria for State Veterans Cemeteries may be similar to national cemeteries but can sometimes include state residency requirements or other specific conditions. It's always best to check with the specific state cemetery for their rules.

Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery uses separate burial and inurnment rules. If that is your preferred cemetery, use Arlington's planning services; a VA national-cemetery decision does not establish Arlington eligibility.

Advance planning or a burial needed now

Before death: apply for a pre-need decision

Use the online pre-need application or VA Form 40-10007. Complete a separate application for each person. Include the Veteran's service records if available and the requested relationship or adult-child disability evidence. If applying on someone else's behalf, provide the required authority documents.

The written decision does not reserve a cemetery or gravesite. Keep it with the service records and tell the family and funeral director where it is. Eligibility may be checked again at death. If the pre-need request is denied, follow the review instructions with the letter; the family may still request a new eligibility determination at the time of need if circumstances or law have changed.

After death: schedule the burial

Gather the records and preferences. Have the DD214 or other service records, any pre-need decision, the deceased's identifying information, next-of-kin contact details, preferred cemetery, and casket or cremation choice ready. Family eligibility may require relationship or disability records.
Send service records, then call to confirm. The funeral director or family can fax discharge records to 866-900-6417, or email them to [email protected] with the deceased's name in the subject. Then call 800-535-1117. Sending documents alone does not confirm a burial date.
Confirm the available cemetery and time. Ask which remains, urn, inscription, and committal-service arrangements the cemetery accepts. Space availability determines the gravesite; you cannot reserve a particular plot in advance.

The Scheduling Office lists phone hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET, with listed holiday closures. For an active-duty service member's burial, contact the cemetery directly. If records are missing, ask for help when you call; checking eligibility may take longer, but you do not have to locate every record before making the initial contact.

Costs, Limits, and Available Services for Burial in a VA National Cemetery

The gravesite or niche, opening and closing, government headstone or marker, and perpetual care are provided at no charge for eligible people. Casketed and cremated remains can both qualify.

Free Services Provided by the VA

For eligible veterans, spouses, and dependent children, the following services are provided at no charge:

Gravesite or Niche: A burial plot in a national cemetery or a columbarium niche for cremated remains.
Opening and Closing of the Grave: The labor involved in preparing the gravesite for interment and closing it afterward.
Perpetual Care: Ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the gravesite and the cemetery grounds, ensuring a beautiful and respectful resting place for generations.
Government Headstone or Marker: A standard government headstone or marker (flat or upright, depending on cemetery section) is provided and inscribed with the deceased's name, branch of service, dates of birth and death, and emblems of belief.

For a Veteran or qualifying service member, ask the funeral director to request the burial flag and military funeral honors from the appropriate military service. These are not automatically benefits for every spouse or child buried there. A Presidential Memorial Certificate can also be requested for an eligible deceased Veteran.

What the VA Does NOT Cover

While the VA provides significant benefits, it's important to understand what is not included:

Funeral Home Costs: Services provided by a private funeral home (e.g., embalming, cremation services, funeral arrangements, viewing, use of facilities) are generally not covered.
Transportation of Remains: The cost of transporting the remains to the national cemetery is typically the family's responsibility.
Flowers and Other Memorial Items: Personal items, floral arrangements beyond those provided by the VA, or other memorial tributes are not covered.

VA Burial Allowances (Financial Assistance)

The VA may provide financial assistance to help offset some funeral and burial expenses. These allowances are separate from the services provided at a national cemetery.

Service-Connected Death: The maximum burial allowance is $2,000 for eligible service-connected deaths on or after September 11, 2001. An earlier death uses a different rate.
Non-Service-Connected Death: Eligible deaths from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026 use a $1,002 burial allowance. For deaths on or after October 1, 2026, the rate is $1,032. Benefit eligibility must be established separately from eligibility for national cemetery burial.
Plot or Interment Allowance: A separately eligible private-cemetery claim uses a $1,002 plot rate for deaths from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, or $1,032 for deaths on or after October 1, 2026. A national cemetery gravesite furnished without charge does not generate this cash plot allowance.

Apply for those payments separately through the burial allowance process. Keep transportation receipts if you plan to claim reimbursement; a free national-cemetery gravesite does not include transporting the remains.

Questions that affect your arrangements

Can a spouse be buried there if the Veteran is elsewhere?

Yes, an eligible spouse or surviving spouse may qualify even when the Veteran is buried in a private cemetery. Remarriage after the Veteran's death does not by itself end eligibility. Divorce or annulment is different: a former spouse generally cannot qualify through that ended marriage.

Are cremation and funeral-home services free?

The eligible cemetery interment is free. Crematory charges, funeral-home services, and transportation are separate costs. A burial allowance may help when its separate rules are met, but national-cemetery eligibility alone does not reimburse those bills.

Can I get a VA urn first and decide on burial later?

Receiving the VA commemorative urn or plaque benefit ends eligibility for that Veteran's later VA national-cemetery burial and government headstone, marker, or medallion. Confirm the family's plans before choosing that benefit. A privately purchased urn for cremated remains is not the same VA benefit.

If eligibility or scheduling is unresolved

Ask the Scheduling Office which service period, discharge, relationship, or disability record is missing. For a formal denial, request the written decision and follow its review instructions. An accredited representative can help with eligibility evidence; the funeral director can help coordinate records and arrangements. A pre-need letter alone does not confirm a later burial appointment.

Your next step

For a burial needed now, call 800-535-1117 with the person's records and preferred cemetery. For advance planning, submit a pre-need application and keep the decision with the family paperwork.

Other requests may need separate applications

Burial allowance for eligible funeral, plot, or transportation costs.
Headstones and medallions if burial is in a private cemetery.
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for eligible survivors.