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What 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.
Everything the government does to help can be divided into two areas, or agencies. VA offers reimbursements to help with the expenses associated with funerals and other rites. The National Cemetery Administration takes over afterwards by offering a gravesite and taking care of it.
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.
The family of a veteran who dies of an injury or disability sustained during military service will get up to $2,000. This is a single payment, instead of two different amounts for different purposes. The cemetery expenses and care of the gravesite is handled by the National Cemetery Administration.
There are 131 national cemeteries, and any one may serve as a veteran's final resting place. In addition to the gravesite, the government honors the veteran with a marker or headstone and a burial flag. The family is also entitled to a Presidential Memorial Certificate, and they will not have to bear the costs of grave opening/closing and perpetual care.
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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