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Basics You Should Expect When Seeing Veterans Funeral Service Benefits
Veterans funeral benefits cover a whole lot more than just the immediate burial costs. The VA helps out military families with a comprehensive range of amenities and allowances for expenses associated with the death of a veteran. The family can provide a decent service and proper burial, honoring a person who laid his or her life on the line in service of the country.
Everything the government offers in this regard is divided into two parts. One deals with the costs associated with burials and funerals. The other one comes courtesy of the National Cemetery Administration, which provides gravesites in national cemeteries and cares for the upkeep.
The cause of death determines how much the VA will be able to shell out in reimbursements. In cases where the death is not related to military service, the families are entitled for two payments. One $700 payment covers the cost of ceremonies and rites. A second payment is an allowance for plot-interment of up to $700 if the grave is not in a national cemetery.
If the vet dies due to a service-related disability or injury, up to $2,000 may be offered for burial expenses. Note that in this case, there is only one payment. This payment doesn't have to include the burial plot within this cost, since that is arranged for separately by the National Cemetery Administration.
A deceased veteran may be buried in one of the 131 national cemeteries. Apart from the gravesite, they are entitled to a headstone or marker paid for by the government, along with a burial flag. The family also gets a Presidential Memorial Certificate. The grave opening and closing and perpetual care are taken care of at no cost to the family.
Veterans funeral benefits are only available to the veteran and not spouses or dependents. The family may, however, be given last resting places in the same cemetery alongside the veteran. The government also adds an inscription to the veteran's headstone to include the dependent's name and the date of birth and death. This is done regardless of who dies first, ensuring that the entire family stays together in the afterlife.
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