VA Burial Benefits: Eligibility and Application Process

Navigating the VA burial benefits system can be a crucial yet complex task for veterans and their families. Understanding eligibility criteria and the application process is paramount to ensure that veterans receive the honor and recognition they deserve in their final resting place.

These benefits, provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, encompass a range of services, including interment in national cemeteries, grave markers, and burial allowances. By delving into eligibility requirements and the application process, veterans and their loved ones can navigate this process with clarity and dignity.

Eligibility and Application Process

Did you realize that the VA might offer burial allowance benefits when a Veteran passes away? This article provides crucial details about this issue. The VA Burial Benefits could encompass an allowance for both the funeral and burial expenses. This allowance varies depending on whether the Veteran’s death was associated with his/her service tenure, referred to as service connected death rate, or the non-service connected death rate.

In addition, the benefit could cover a VA plot or interment allowance or a VA transportation or reimbursement for transporting the Veteran’s remains to the final resting place, given that the Veteran is eligible. To qualify for burial allowance benefits, the Veteran’s discharge must not be dishonorable, and one of the below must apply:

• Death resulted from a service-related disability.
• Deceased while receiving care at a VA-approved facility.
• Determined eligible for compensation or pension benefits based on a pending claim at the time of death.
• Eligible for VA pension or compensation at the time of death, but received full military retirement or disability pay instead.

Burial allowance benefits are remunerated to a claimant who incurs funeral and burial expenses that won’t be repaid by any other entity.

Application Process

For applying, please send a filled VA Form 21P-530EZ, which is the application for burial benefits. Ensure that this form has information about the Veteran’s service periods, death location, burial place, and any expenses incurred. Along with the form, please submit a copy of the Veteran’s Death Certificate, Service documents, and the funeral bill receipt or statement (if you claim transportation benefits).

If you are filing for service-connected burial benefits, we’ll need the medical records of the Veteran too. Once your application form and supporting documents are ready, please submit clear and legible copies, as scanning technology is used to evaluate your claim, aiding the VA in processing it promptly.

Please note that applications for non-service connected burial must be submitted within two years of burial or cremation. However, there is no time constraint for submitting a service-connected burial or plot and interment allowances.

More details about burial allowance benefits, including the current payable rates for each allowance type can be found at www.va.gov/burial-memorials/veterans-burial-allowance/. To ask us any question, you can call our benefit hotline at 1 800 827 1000.

How to Apply?

The process to claim your benefits commences only when we receive your application. The sooner we have your form, the quicker we can work towards obtaining your rightful benefits.

You can apply for burial benefits online by visiting www.va.gov or mail your application to the Department of Veterans Affairs Pension Intake Center at the provided address. You can call our toll-free number 1 800 827 1000 for assistance. We are available from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

For a swift and precise decision on your VA burial claim, please ensure to stick to all the instructions mentioned in this article. A complete application with the necessary evidence will result in a quicker decision.