Burial benefits for veterans include, at no cost to the family, a gravesite in any of the National Cemeteries with perpetual care, a Government headstone or marker, a burial flag and a Presidential Memorial Certificate. Cremated remains are buried or inurned in National Cemeteries in the same manner and with the same honors as casketed remains.
The same burial benefits are also available for spouses and dependents at no cost to the family, even if they predecease the veteran.
Gravesites in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemeteries cannot be reserved in advance. Veterans wishing to be buried in a National Cemetery should be sure their families know how to locate their discharge papers which may be needed to prove eligibility.
The family should contact their funeral director for help with the necessary burial arrangements at the national cemetery. All costs incurred for services obtained from the funeral home or crematory will be at the family’s expense, but reimbursement for funeral services is available. See https://www.vets.gov/burials-and-memorials/eligibility/