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Facts You Should Expect When Considering Veterans Funeral Service Benefits
Veterans funeral benefits are not just about the one-time costs immediately after the death of a veteran. The VA provides a comprehensive range of allowances and amenities. It covers virtually all the expenses the family of a deceased veteran has to bear, ensuring a decent afterlife for soldiers who put their lives on the line for their country.
All the help the government provides in this regard is basically categorized under two broad categories. The first lot comes under the reimbursements offered by the VA for funerals and burials. The National Cemetery Administration subsequently provides the gravesite and its subsequent care.
The actual amount of reimbursement provided depends on the cause of death. If the death was not related to the veteran's service, then the VA provides two separate payments. One is a payment of up to $700 for expenses attributable to burials and funerals, and another $700 is offered as a plot-interment allowance if the burial plot is not in a national cemetery.
If the death has come about as a result of disabilities and/or injuries sustained during military service, VA is authorized to reimburse as much as $2,000. This will be provided as a single payment instead of two separate reimbursements. The expenses that come afterwards, including the gravesite upkeep, do not have to be borne by the family.
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 do not extend to spouses and dependents, who are only entitled to a grave in the same cemetery and provided perpetual care. Their names and dates of birth and death will be inscribed on the veteran's headstone. Dependents are provided graves even if they pass away before the veteran. However, graves cannot be reserved in advance.
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